


Like diamonds in the sky

by Zelshamada



Series: Shance Week 2016 [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff with dashed of drama, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, M/M, Pansexual Lance (Voltron), Pidge goes to Earth, Romance, Shance Week 2016, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, Shiro imagines Lance in different AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 09:41:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 25,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8528206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelshamada/pseuds/Zelshamada
Summary: Shiro liked to imagine Lance doing normal stuff in pretty normal scenarios.Bear with him this one, okay?Yes, sometimes those scenarios were a little more R rated than other but usually Shiro's imagination would create a whole story, with lots of context, of so much normalcy that Shiro's heart ached in confused longing.You see, to Shiro, Lance was the most normal of them all. And, believe him, he said that with his most regards.--OR: Shiro tries hard to resist, but Lance is way too much.Shance Week:DAY 1: Pining/Confession (chapter 1)DAY 3: Confidence/Insecurity (chapter 2)





	1. I'll rule the world

**Author's Note:**

> * Happy birthday, self. You're still awesome!!  
> * This was almost named _Sugar, how you get so fly?_ But well~  
>  * First Voltron fic. Sorry for all the mistakes, I'm missing a beta reader :(  
> * Day 1 of the Shance Week: Pining/Confession.  
> * Enjoy!

Shiro was sure that something was very, very wrong with the team. And the first one to tipped him off was, surprisingly, Pidge.

Now, Shiro was aware that Pidge's drive was even more personal than the rest. Her focus and passion for finding her family was admirable if nothing else, they all knew she was doing her best to find her father and her brother. Hell, Shiro himself wanted to find them badly enough to understand that hard work was a must.

But that didn't mean that she shouldn't rest once in a while. It looked, nonetheless, like no one had told that to Pidge _ever_ , and so Shiro couldn't do anything to make her stop, even if it was for a few hours. No matter who talked to her, she was always busy: plans to make, things to program, tons of data to pick apart. And she wasn't gonna stop.

Now, Shiro knew enough about life in space in general to recognize a distraction, a very convenient skill that was also a very convenient crouch, to avoid facing reality. Her family have been prisoners of the Galra way too long; anything could have happen in that period of time. Everything was uncertain and could fall apart at any given minute.

Plus, Pidge left her mother all alone on Earth and by now they all knew that was a detail that it was better left ignored.

Shiro had tried to at least give her a schedule that she could follow in which hours of full sleep were contemplated but no amount of authority or even friendship could put her on ease. So Shiro let her be, although he reminded her to rest a bit every few days.

Kieth, on his own way, was very much like Pidge.

He kept and kept practicing and fighting drones and picking fights with Lance. Shiro would be ok with it all if it wasn't because Keith was obviously bored. So much so that half of the time his heart wasn't in the confrontation at all; not even against Lance. Keith wasn't training just to get better, he was helping the time to pass faster.

Lance, on the other hand, was starting to get numb. And that was very alarming, if you asked Shiro.

Just as Hunk was the emotional strength of Voltron, Lance was the humor and the will of it; the force that balanced all the others, also. And although he could form Voltron with the team with no problem, Shiro had been wondering when the fact that Lance was still and looking at nothing more and more lately was going to become a problem.

Because Lance without energy? Lance with no running commentary about what Coran got him to do? Lance being quiet?

No. That was very, very wrong. Shiro was positive that some days ago Lance didn't laugh _once._ Talk about getting worried.

Ok, so, maybe Shiro's concerns were a bit biased. So what? That didn't mean they were less truth.

And that was the very scary part.

\--

The tension was growing.

Or, in other words, the depressing feelings were increasing.

The day before, Shiro saw Keith helping Coran to fix something in one of the many rooms of the castle. _Willingly_. Keith had also reported to Shiro that there were 42 steps in the biggest ladder of the ballroom, just because. He'd also said that Lance's ass counted the last 10 but Keith went away before Shiro could've ask about Lance's ass wellbeing.

Which... Yeah. Thank you, Universe.

A few hours ago (or so), Shiro was sharing the common space, the one with all the couches, with Pidge who was doing God knows what in her computer and with Lance, who had been sitting there, just across Shiro, humming a song quietly.

“Hey,” Said Pigde stopping her work and looking at Lance with genuinely curiosity written all over her face. “What are you signing?”

“Mh?” Was Lance's response effectively stopping his humming.

“You were signing something. What was it? Sounds familiar.”

“I wasn't signing anything.”

“You were humming, Lance,” Shiro said with a small frown.

Lance looked really confused.

“No. No... I wasn't.”

A few ticks of silent and then:

“Whatever you said, buddy.” And Pidge had carried on working as if nothing important had just happened.

Lance's expression transformed into something neutral, totally void of anything alive yet again. The signing and humming stopped for good.

Shiro was worried, alright? Like, he was starting to feel down as well because his team was depressed in space with nothing else to do beside training and fighting.

No relaxing or off-duty days. And even if they have those kind of days... What would they do? More _nothing?_

But suddenly, one day, Hunk made clear the fact the they couldn't keep going on like that; and now they all knew it. Altean included.

Because Hunk was, by far, the better one at stress management. Hunk was the reason why Shiro still had hope that someday, somehow, all of them were going to be so accustomed to be in space that they won't be homesick anymore, Earth just a pleasant memory in the background. Hunk with his big heart and open disposition was the one carrying the team when they weren't fighting the Galra, if Shiro was honest.

And then, Hunk started crying, right in the kitchen, above his goo-food.

“This doesn't taste right. It just doesn't. I know it's dumb but the taste is so wrong. I-I'm sorry, guys. I'm just... I guess I'm just tired.”

“Bro,” said Keith with more sympathy than Shiro'd ever seen on him. Lance got up to hug Hunk. Pidge looked close to tear herself.

Shiro guessed that whoever said that the best things in life were hidden in the little things was right.

And so, Shiro stopped ignoring the awful taste of the goo in his tongue, stopped being the leader that was always trying to find a common ground between the personal life of everyone and the space war; stopped trying to find a balance in every situation and finally allowed himself to be the voice of his team's deepest desires.

Shiro let his cutlery fall to the table with a loud sound. He looked straight to Allura while getting to his feet.

“Princess. A word?”

They were his team, his priority. And he would be damned if he didn't do everything in his power to make them happy whenever he could.

\--

 

“Wait, what?”, asked Keith while blinking. 

Shiro smiled.  
“You hear right, Keith.”

“One of you is going to Earth.” Allura patiently explained. Shiro knew that Allura wasn't entirely convinced about the plan and didn't particularly like the fact the Shiro didn't ask for permission rather than pointy emphasized that human psychology was _particular_ and if she didn't give them a break, the outcome was going to make Zarkon pretty happy.

“No, really. What?” Hunk this time.

“Look that them tryin' to understand us. It can move anyone to tears,” Coran said while doing the exaggerated gesture of taking a tear out of his eye.

They all shared a distrustful and synchronized blink. Allura should be proud.

But no. In fact, Allura looked more serious and concerned than she had in a while.

“Pidge, I suggest you go to check and run a test on the duration of the invisible cloak on the Green Lion. You are going to need it for as long as you can hold it. The rest of you, go make sure your Lions are well and ready to face a fight on their own if needed to. Coran, Shiro and I are going to adjust the plan accordingly to yours reports.” she commanded.

Shiro was no surprised to see that non of them moved.

“Well?” Allura asked while raising an eyebrow. Everything in her screamed that she was not comfortable with any of the things she was saying but, nonetheless, no one should mess with her. “I gave you an order, Paladins!”

Instead of doing just that, of course that Hunk, Keith, Lance and Pidge exploded with questions, inquiries and very explicit phrases, all their voices trying to outshine the others.

Shiro sighed.

 _This is why we can't have nice things,_ he thought.

Or he believed he had thought it but a tick later Lance was staring at him with surprise and then he started laughing like Shiro's just said the best joke in the Universe.

Well, what a nice feeling. Shiro could get used to it.

“Oh, my man,” said Lance in such a joyful tone that effectible silenced everyone else. “I know you have been patiently waiting to use that one.”

Shiro, feeling oddly proud, didn't even try to fight the smile that was taking over his features.

“We're bringing a little bit of home to us, guys,” he say, feeling a lot better than a few hours ago.

\--

The plan was simple enough for them to hope that everything went well.

Allura was going to open not two, not three but _four_ wormholes, one for each Lion on the mission, all of them a shortcut to different and very distant parts of the Universe.

Keith, Lance, Pidge and Shiro himself were going to jump into their respective wormhole and then, try to find cover and lay low wherever the hell they could. 

Pidge was the one going to Earth. She was supposed to arrive at the outside of the Solar System where she would take refuge in the nearest surface available. Only when she could be totally sure that the Galra wasn't around, _and only then,_ she would activate the invisibility cloak and then fly as fast as the Green Lion could to Earth.

It was planned that she would stay on Earth no longer than 30 hours. She knew what to do.

Meanwhile, Hunk would stay on the Castle, not only monitoring the whole operation but also on protective duty. The Castle should be protected against any surprise attack from the Galra; especially when the the rest of the Lions depended on it to return home. Leaving Allura and Coran, hypothetically, to fight all by themselves was pretty idiotic, in Shiro's opinion.

With that in mind, and always trying to mislead any attempt of the Galra to sabotage their plan (if any), Keith was going to be the first one on them to go back to the Castle, at the 18 hours mark. With the Red Lion and the Yellow Lion as guardians of both the Castle and the rest of the Paladin's butts, Shiro and Coran hoped that they've got all their bases covered.

Lance was the next one, 23 hours later. Then, after 28 hours doing (hopefully) nothing on space, Shiro was going to get back. All of them on high alert, because if Pidge was intercepted in the last part of their plan, even with the invisibility cloak, all of them would fly to her and form Voltron at once. No questions asked.

Earth had been safe so far. They would be damned if they changed that just because they'd drove attention to it.

30 hours later, Pidge was suppose to be back in space, flying to the end of the system, to the planet or moon or asteroid or whatever that she first went to. Only when she was completely and absolutely sure that no Galra was praying on Earth, _and only then,_ she was going to communicate with the Castle and come back.

And then... Victory for Team Voltron!

Oh, Universe, Shiro really wished everything went according to the plan. He wished no Galra was spying on them and tracking their movements. And he really, really wished no one attacked any of them when they were on their own, acting as decoys so Pidge didn't have all the (possible) attention.

When Allura was explaining the plan, Shiro was pleasantly surprised to find that no one of the other Paladins were offended or deeply hurt because only Pigde was going to Earth, even if it was a very short visit.

On the contrary, Hunk, Lance and Keith started to make a list with all the things they'd been needing all the time they had been out of Earth. 

Apparently, certain kind of food was expected (chocolate and nachos and something called _arequipe_ ) but they all wanted _seeds_ of a great variety of fruits and vegetables. “And soil, Pigde. You can find good soil on the same vivarium that you get the seeds. No worries, that comes in a bag. I bet Green is going to love to carry those!” Hunk pointed.

Lance and Keith discovered they had been watching the same retro TV shows before the whole Zarkon thing exploded, and they both asked Pigde to download so many TV shows and movies that Coran had been impressed about how the human kind had had time to make all those but hadn't contacted any alien life yet.

Shiro could admit that he'd put down some suggestions as well. He had always liked the _Sons of Anarchy,_ now that he thought about it. He was down to watch it again, even with all the drama.

Hunk asked for a specific brand of toothpaste. Keith asked for a diary and a constellations map he left in his desert shack. Lance asked for a up-to-date family photo.

Shiro didn't know what to ask for beside entertainment. His family history if tragically short was a happy one. All the things that he might had missed while being a prisoner of the Galra were gone from his memory.

He'd tried not to feel nostalgic about his own younger self and wrote _A kindle with all these books,_ followed by way too many titles on the list that Pidge was carrying to Earth.

It was a testament of how much they all missed their old lives that Pidge didn't complain once about all their requests. She was all focus, all empathy; already planning on a schedule so she could indulge them all.

“How are you going to pay for all the stuff that we are asking you for?” Shiro asked, genuinely concerned about the Holt's bank account.

“What do you mean by 'pay'?” Pigde replayed with her glasses glowing with malice.

Shiro decided then that he wouldn't question Pigde about her methods on this particular mission because, well, desperate measures and all that.

“Are you ready, paladins?” Asked Allura, wearing her full fighting gear, hair in a bun included. “Alright then. Go to your Lions and good luck.”

Shiro's wormhole was the first one to be created. When he leaped through it his hands were lightly shaking, half in worry, half in excitement. A look to the open screens with the faces of all his team, all in different places, showed him that they all were sharing the same feeling.

Lance's smile and wink was the last thing he saw before the wormhole magic cut all communication for the short duration of the trip.

\--

The thing about having to spend 28 hours on space laying low on a desolated and pretty rocky moon was... Well, there was nothing to do. In fact, it was the mission to _do_ nothing.

They were trying not to get any kind of attention so communication with the rest of the team was at minimum, only to be engaged to report every few hours and in case of an emergency. Allura was very clear with that order. “We have not way of knowing if a Galra Ship is near enough to pick in our transmission. If so, they'll know you are all alone and with no immediate back up.” She'd said. “And I'm being very serious, Lance: No unnecessary communication.”

Gosh. How was Lance coping with all the silence?

Keith, Shiro could imagining that would be practicing with his sword right in the little space that his cabin provided him. Or something like that. Shiro remembered how Keith had never been one of those kids who could stare at a wall and be entertained; Keith liked to move and to read weird but interesting stuff. That's why Shiro was willing to bet that he took all his weapons with him, either to clean them or practicing. But Keith was undoubtedly doing _something._

Hunk was probably all stressed out over the coms, waiting patiently on the rest of them to report back. Most likely, Coran would keep him company all the while, trying to ease the anxious atmosphere around him.

Pigde was already approaching Earth, with nothing alarming to report. Shiro knew that because Allura had told him the last time they'd talked.

Now, Lance...

Lance was, maybe... Talking to Blue? ... For the 6 hours they had been on space so far?

 _Blue likes that,_ Black informed him in a quiet purr. _She loves company._

Ah. So, yeah.

“Thanks, pal.”

At least non of them were truly alone in space. Their Lions kept them company. Shiro and Black were close enough to feel at ease with each other for hours, even without talking. They were mates. And Shiro was fairly sure Black knew all about his slight obsession with the Blue Paladin, so...

Ok, so, Shiro wasn't uncomfortable _anymore._ Black had never mocked him for it and Shiro was grateful. Even more grateful when Black shared little bits and pieces of information that could help him to understand Blue's personality, ergo, Lance's mind a little more.

It wasn't a invasion to Lance and Blue's privacy! It was just... You know... Random data. To... Be prepared in battle... and―and. And to help predict stuff, you know, useful stuff and―.

 _Fine._ So Shiro had this hobby... That it wasn't a hobby at all. It was a coping mechanism that Shiro himself was pretty sure it was unhealthy. It was also a guilty pleasure.

He liked to imagine Lance doing normal stuff in pretty normal scenarios.

Bear with him this one, okay?

Yes, sometimes those scenarios were a little more R rated than other but usually Shiro's imagination would create a whole story, with lots of context, of so much _normalcy_ that Shiro's heart _ached_ in confused longing.

You see, to Shiro, Lance was the most normal of them all. And, believe him, he said that with his most regards.

Lance had insecurities and many flaws but all of them were expected at his age, they were acceptable and manageable. They were all human and raw and _normal._

Lance was pretty easy-going, yes, but it was a constant explosion of emotion and intent, even when he was sitting still on the couch because it made his numb-depression even more obvious. Any other day, Lance would be shining in a way that made Shiro remember that Lance's family was a big one, and in a family with that much people, Shiro supposed, you learn to just _be_ yourself; always accepted and always loved no matter what.

Lance didn't have the lay-back attitude that Hunk had, for example. Shiro didn't know much about Hunk's family but he kinda guessed that even when it wasn't as big as Lance's, there were issues and probably Hunk was given way more responsibility over his kin that it should be given to someone that young. Not for nothing Hunk default mood was _to take care_ of them. Pretty much like someone accustomed to act like a mother would.

Even though, Shiro was sure that Hunk was the second most normal paladin. Because, well...

Lance didn't have (thank God) the awful experience of the foster-child system. Didn't have the memory of his heart been broken over the news that half of his family was dead. Didn't have a whole alien arm attached to himself, always a reminded that he wasn't completely human.

Shiro wasn't normal. He used to be, yes, a long time ago. Now he was anything but. And he really missed the stability that being normal could bring, the easy happiness, the way that your problems seems all encompassing for a while and then something happens and you're happy again.

Shiro found that normality in Lance, in his smile, in they way he was both intelligent and street smart. In how, sometimes, Shiro could hear Lance taking an awed breathe over a new galaxy that they were seeing for the first time.

Lance was normal. In a way so attractive and so great and full of dreams and kindness that Shiro _wanted it._

Shiro wanted to hug Lance and then bask in the warmth of all his being.

Cue the weird coping mechanism/guilty pleasure that made him enjoy picturing Lance in very normal scenarios. All quite different, but all with Lance living a pretty ordinary life (but it was _Lance;_ yes, ordinary but so, so beautiful) and all with a normal-Shiro included.

Oh yes, it was that fucked up.

The first time that Shiro had let his imagination run wild, it had been so innocent Shiro's consciousness hadn't suspect anything.

The first time it'd happened, Shiro pictured them all in the garrison, actually.

It had been a made-out story about how, through very possible ways, they would have all met each other even if they weren't destined to flight giant lions robots. It has been a pretty simple story: Shiro met Lance and Hunk through Keith, because that imaginary Keith had paid attention to his peers eventually, and then Shiro brought Matt and his little sister to a tutor session to help the boys because the Holt siblings were just that _smart._ They were all friends at the end and all was good.

Except that wasn't the end of his day-dream. Oh no.

Somehow, imaginary-Lance had gotten his individual attention when he asked for help in a particular simulation that was driving him nuts. “I'm against Keith, Shiro,” Imaginary-Lance said. “This is my last chance to get out of the cargo-pilot class”. So of course Shiro helped him. How could he not, knowing how much Lance wanted to explore space?

That's why imaginary-Shiro took imaginary-Lance to the simulator and run with him the whole scenario. Imaginary-Lance had a problem with the same maneuver that real-Lance had with his Lion, and so Shiro thought it was time to imaginary-teach Lance what to do.

Everything went to real-hell after that imaginary-decision.

Because imaginary-Shiro sat on the pilot seat, still in the simulator, and then moved imaginary-Lance to sit on his lap, taking Lance's hands between his, showing him through movement what to do and talking in smooth whispers. Then imaginary-Lance had turned his head around wearing a smile that Shiro had seen in real-Lance, a smile that normally was aimed at Allura or even Nyma that one time, and said in a very cocky-sure voice: “Oh Shiro, you sure can teach me anything, eh?”

Shiro didn't want to remember the almost asthma attack that he had gone through after imagining _that._ The shock had been that big. It was the worst wake up call that he had ever pulled on himself.

At the time, he had panicked because he thought he was _just_ attracted to Lance. That wasn't exactly acceptable even when Shiro regrettable admitted that Lance fit his type pretty much all the way. He liked guys who were tall enough to look at Shiro's eyes easily, confident enough to share his thoughts, with an open disposition to adventure. The caramel skin and the blue eyes were a great, great bonus.

But _still._ He was the leader, for God sake.

Gosh. In retrospect, those weeks had been very awkward.

But then, after the equivalent of plenty of nights hours invested in understanding why he had imagined Lance that way, Shiro made the conclusion that he unconsciously pick Lance out of everyone else of the team because he was the one that reminded him the most of home, home in a abstract way that not even Keith or Pidge could evoke. A home were the Kerberos mission didn't change him so badly, home as a place that he could relax and just be. Home as somewhere safe and familiar. Where you were allowed to just be happy.

That and, well, of course, that Lance was pretty attractive.

After that, Shiro had tried with all his might to keep his day dreams, especially when he was about to fall asleep, to be all focused in normal things. Routines and familiar habits in different scenarios. Pretty ordinary days that somehow were never boring in his mind. Sometimes those fantasies were about their originals lives, other times it was an hypothetical universe.

All with Lance as focus. Because really, Shiro couldn't fight that many wars at the same time.

And if sometimes in those day dreams things got shifted a bit and Lance hugged him while pressing his lips on Shiro's neck, well... 

Whatever. Let the record said that Shiro was tired enough in general that he didn't feel guilty about being self-indulgent in his most vulnerable hours.

Ok, sue him. He was attracted to Lance, so what? It wasn't like he was doing anything about it.

Except, you know, kinda imagining their life together in worlds that didn't exist. But that was it.

One of his favorites, was a universe where Lance was studying astronomy and Shiro was a space pilot, just like in his old life. Galra empire non existing.

Shiro liked to imaging Lance with a portable telescope, plus a quite big backpack full with books and notebooks and a few maps of the galaxy sticking out at the top of it. In that universe, Lance would be dressed as the total cliché of a nerd. Bowtie and suspenders included. And glasses. Thick, black glasses framing his blue eyes.

Eyes that would shine very bright when Shiro, both arms human, would present himself as the pilot of Lance's first space travel. Lance would look at him with an open expression of admiration (that may or may not had been taken straight out of their real-Voltron life) and would follow every word that Shiro said as he was as interesting as the stars that Lance would love to study up close.

Shiro didn't fool himself thinking that that Lance, the astronomer one, was real. He knew real-Lance and knew that he was merely exaggerating all the (few) shy and obedient parts of him. But man, it was fun to picturing him just being so purely innocent and cute; smiling pretty much all the time.

Until some weird space-sickness (but not a gross one) would get hold of Shiro and it was Lance's duty to take care of him. And that's when astronomer-Lance would start behaving a lot more like real-Lance, instinctively knowing what to do while asking question and talking his way out of an anxiety attack. Then, after Shiro would get better, Lance would proceed to behave half like astronomer-Lance, half real-Lance, and Shiro would offer a sexual reward for his help.

And that part was a lot of fun (because astronomer-Lance wouldn't have much experience but a lot of curiosity) but Shiro would be damned if he started to imagine that while he was in Black. Nop. The line had to be drawn somewhere.

 _He-he,_ Shiro felt from his lion but ignored it.

Yes. Astronomer-Lance was definitely a favorite. Shiro was fond of him almost as much as he was fond of marine biologist-Lance.

Oh, man, marine biologist-Lance. If astronomer-Lance was all about Lance being cute in a nerdy and shy way, biologist-Lance was all about passion and slyness and a blinding personality. Always caring a big, big, big smile. Again, real-Lance exaggerated.

Biologist-Lance would met chef-Shiro (because why not) in a sushi restaurant. Lance would enter the establishment, almost too tired after a whole afternoon of lobbing in favor of the sea turtles' rights, and would order the least expensive item of the menu. Shiro, sometimes just the chef on duty, sometime the owner of the restaurant, would take pity on the poor biologist and would give him an extra plate of something delicious, on the house.

Biologist-Lance would be so, so grateful, smiling just for him. After just a few questions, he would be telling chef-Shiro everything about his research and his favorite spots on the sea. All about his love for the sea, actually. All in a high-speed speech and with elaborated arms movements.

“Can you believe that the government spends waaaay too much money on space exploration, which has never been that successful or practical or _useful,_ by the way, instead of exploring our own sea?! I mean, the one person who had been at the bottom of the Mariana's Trench is freaking James Cameron! He couldn't do much, grant you, but if it's already possible to go there, why are they wasting all our taxes money on fucking space?!” Biologist-Lance would say, just to Shiro's amusement.

Chef-Shiro would declare that he couldn't understand the government logic either. “What's the point to know what's hidden in the universe when you wouldn't even know how to deal with all the garbage that is endangering all the marine life, am I right?” Chef-Shiro would eloquently say.

Lance's face would be so happy at that. On which point, biologist-Lance would start flirting with him with everything he got: his blue eyes would somehow shine, his smile would be seductive, his hands would be sexily messing with his own hair. 

“You made my day, Shiro” Marine biologist-Lance would say just before remarking that he lived close, would Shiro like to go to his place? He could make the day even better. He promised.

Ehrm... Yes. Right. That fantasy was better suspended for the day as well.

And while all those scenarios were fun and usually ended in a pretty sexy time, his ultimate most favorite fantasy was... Pretty tame. So much so, Shiro normally didn't think much about it because something felt hollow in his heart after, and space dust would fight its way inside his eyes.

He reserved that one for the especially tiresome days. For those hours that everything felt wrong or meaningless. For when he needed something he couldn't pinpoint.

Lance was a student in that one. 

His imagination had never decided _what_ was he studying but Shiro thought it was something to do with maths. Lance was also a surfer; expending all the free time he could spare riding waves on the ocean. Shiro would be a space pilot in that one as well. But a cargo-pilot one. Yes. He would took one shipment of required stuff, then he would fly it to one space-station in specific, almost in autopilot, and then repeat the process for the rest of the week.

Being a cargo-pilot was weirdly liberating. It also meant that he got to go home almost every night. Although, in this scenario, he had had a very long trip to make and hadn't been home for a week.

Lance would kill time surfing all the afternoon away. Then, he would stop and go to his jeep to put away all his beach stuff, his beautiful blue lion surfboard included.

“Hey, man, wanna hang tonight?” Someone, a faceless man, would ask him.

But Lance wouldn't even look at him that much, his joyful mood and excitement contained but clear.

“Sorry, bro. Shiro is getting home tonight!”

“Oooh. Gotta go to pick up the boyfriend?”

“You know it!”

And that's exactly what he would do. Shiro even imagined Lance driving the windowless jeep on the highway. A small smile adorning his features, sunglasses protecting his eyes. Lance would arrive to the space station, and his whole physical language would change to a relaxed and joyful one, waiting patiently for Shiro to come out.

Shiro and a couple more of cargo-pilot would be leaving the facilities to theirs awaiting cars. But Shiro knew without doubt, that no one was as happy as he was watching Lance removing his sunglasses to reveal blue eyes that were shining with mirth and a smile so full of love that Shiro's breathe got lost for a minute.

“Hey, gorgeous” Lance would greet while helping Shiro's luggage to the back of his jeep, just below his surfboard.

Later, Shiro would laugh out loud when Lance didn't even bother to try to mix all the different ingredients they like on pizza respectively, so he bought three pizzas to go: one for Shiro only, one for Lance only and one with just cheese on it to share and maybe even have as breakfast in the morning.

After that, they would go to their apartment. Shiro pictured as a not-that-big place, on the contrary, it would look really small with all the things that co-existed within its walls: Lance's posters and books and shoes, Shiro's magazines and DVDs and space maps. Nonetheless, it would feel very warm and cozy. It would smell like Lance's cologne and it would be home.

It would be the only place where Shiro would feel safe enough to remove his shirt and let his prosthetic arm on sight. A normal, robotic, not-alien, prosthetic arm.

Lance and him would take the pizzas to the sofa while telling each other the highlights of the days they were separated (Lance almost lost his surfboard after a particularly wild wave, Shiro saw that weird pyramid-like asteroid again). Then, they would turn on the TV (“Pacific Rim, Shiro!” “Again? Yancy dies every time, Lance. You need to accept that”) and just kinda cuddle but not quite on the sofa for the rest of the night.

Before going to sleep, Lance would hug him and in a very soft voice he would say: “I missed you so much. I was worried about you.”

Shiro would close his eyes and pull Lance even more close to his chest and reply: “I'm here.”

And that was it. Not weird accident along the way so the fantasy would have some kind of story, no prolonged speeches against the system, not even the slight indication that sexy times were ahead.

Nothing at all. Just that. Just a day in any ordinary life.

As usual, Shiro took a very deep breathe after that scenario. His chest felt compressed beneath the armor and half of his brain was calling him a masochistic.

Yes, well. Shiro didn't have an explanation to that one so he tried no to dwell much in it.

Black purred around him. A silent comfort.

“Shiro?” Allura's serious voice cut suddenly the silence on the cockpit submitting all of Shiro's focus to her.

“I'm here, princess.”

“Keith is already in the castle and everything is going well, it seems. Anything new to report? Has something changed over there?”

Shiro's eyes roamed through the cabin while he silently sighing. No, nothing had changed _at all._ Not Shiro's life, not anyone else's on the team, not their mission, not their destiny. Maybe all of that were good news but Shiro felt a little empty at the moment to be a good, optimistic Leader.

“Everything is well, princess,” se reported at last.

\--

The mission was a total success.

To Shiro's complete astonishment, everything went according to plan. Everyone of them returned to the castle when they were supposed to. Pigde completed all her tasks in record time and then went back without raising any alarms. When the Green Lion entered her hangar, Allura finally let herself relax, smiling at everyone and everything.

The rest of the team was ecstatic. Coran included.

Shiro himself felt an almost uncontrollable kind of emotion that he couldn't describe. So he just smiled as wide as Pigde was smiling when she came out of her Lion declaring that there were too many stuff, that she already carried them in, so no way she was going to carry them out, _you lazy asses,_ and just enjoyed the high spirit that was so present around them all.

Pigde wasn't kidding. There were a **lot** of stuff. Some of them in boxes, others in backpacks. And then there were the obviously heavy earthbags, full with soil that Hunk was going to cultivate so they could finally eat something nice in the future.

Shiro almost cried thinking about that. Lance did fake-cry, though. Dramatically hugging Pidge and everything.

“Yeah, yeah. I have your laptop and your face-creams, you big baby,” Pidge patting Lance's back a few hours later when another happy hug went her way and all their earthling things were scattered all over the common area waiting to be arranged. “Also,... I met your family. They are amazing.” Pidge tightened her arms around him and her voice went calm and almost watery. “That's from your mom. You have non idea how happy she was when I told her you are well and alive.”

That was the point that Lance actually cried, although he tried with all his might not to, separating himself from Pigde and blinking his eyes repeatedly while looking at the ceiling.

“Yours too, Hunk,” Pidge went to Hunk then and hugged him as well. “Your grandpa and your mom send you a lot of love... And some weird seeds that apparently are very important when you're flavoring up something.”

Hunk, opposed to Lance, didn't try to hide his tears or his deeply moved smile.

“Thanks, Pidge,” Hunk said while hugging her back.

Shiro knew he wouldn't have a message from his non-existing family. Sometimes weird things happened and all you had left of your real family was with you in space, piloting a robotic Red Lion. Shiro made a point of walking to Keith and put his left hand on his shoulder. Keith dedicated him a soft smile. A silent support for both of them.

It turned out, they were all reported missing. Even Keith, apparently. There were _Have you seen me somewhere?_ posters with their pictures as cadets on the streets and everything. The description said that they were all last seen with a very suspicious and believed to be dangerous unknown-man that described the current Shiro perfectly, even without telling his name.

Pidge took upon herself to explain everything to Lance's and Hunk's families. And her own mom, of course. Their relief had been, in Pigde's words, _palpable._ Neither of the families wanted her to go, all the moms wanted to feed her and listen to all their adventures. Regrettably, Pigde hadn't had the time to do so; but they all understood the importance of her mission and was because of that that she could bring so many things, because every single person helped her out.

And man, Lance's family was huge.

At the end of her story, Lance was smiling again, his eyes suspiciously bright.

“Your mom has like an altar for us, Lance. I thought it was kinda weird but she said that they have been praying for all of us. She... She said that she will continuing praying until she can meet us all, that she wanted us to be fine. Plus, I'm pretty sure she is Hunk's mom best friend as well so I... I introduced them to my mom. And now... Well, now nobody is alone.”

Hunk started crying again.  
“Oh, duuudee! I love you so much, Pidge!” Hunk exclaimed while hugging her. “Thank you soooo muuuch!”

“Sure, big guy. No problemo,” Pidge smiled. “Your mom said you looked so handsome in your paladin armor in the photo I gave her. I think she said something about a gigantography to put on the window...”

“Oh God.” Hunk's cheeks turned seriously red. “Yep. That's her alright.”

“Now, your mom Lance said that you need to eat more and that she couldn't _believe_ you _finally met_ your ultimate _idol._ You know? The one from the poster in your room...?” Pidge said while moving her eyebrows up and down and smirking mischievously. “The one that you wouldn't shut up when he graduated just before you entered the garrison...? You know,... Your _hero_...?”

Lance's face was incredible red, his eyes huge.

“WHAT?! You told her―Wait, she told you―What?!! What are you talking about? Haha, oh Pidge, you're... Hahahaha, who knew you'd have such sense of humor and vivid imagination?! _Ppfffff! Pleh-ase. Ppppfffff._ No idea what you're talking about, dude. Nada. No.”

Pigde continued, her voice tone practical and evil.

“Anyway, now Shiro's poster is on the altar with all of our pictures, it's what I wanted to say.”

“Nooooooo!” Lance screamed with enough feeling to make his body roll to the ground and disappear behind one of the boxes. All the while prolonging the _'oooooo’._

Shiro couldn't even fight the big smile that took over his mouth. He felt his cheeks warm so he immediately tried to hide his face from everyone but it was impossible. Shiro just couldn't keep from smiling, feeling a sharp wave of satisfaction and pleasure in his chest and spreading downwards with fury.

He already knew Lance looked up to him a bit but he never imagined (not even in any of his fictional universe) that Lance would have a poster of him in his room. Oh, the things that his printed self must had seen.

But, anyway, he might have been Lance's hero once. When he was a whole human and all. But now not only everything in him had changed but also Lance was getting to know him as _Shiro._ He could tell that he was no longer an idol in Lance's eyes. Yes, there was admiration but not that much awe anymore.

Shiro didn't want to analyze why that made him feel simultaneously happy and unhappy at the same time.

Right now he was smiling, though. Because Lance's embarrassment was funny in a very flattering way.

Keith's laughter was a great plus, as well.

Coran intervened at that point making Lance drop a bit his still prolonged vocal sound to a background voice.

“Ok. We are all happy with Lance's misfortune and all that but where are all these movies I keep hearing about?”

Lance finally stopped screaming and looked a Pidge curious for an answer from behind his box. Shiro saw Pidge's smile turn pleased. A tick later, she was revealing a whole backpack full with external memories, all of ridiculous capacity, that had been resting innocently at her left.

Keith sighed, relieved.

“Pidge. I love you so much.”

“And these are just the movies.” She kicked lightly another backpack at her right. “These're the TV shows and music.”

After that, Pidge, Keith, Lance and Hunk tried (all at the same damn time) to convince Coran to start his TV experience with “the best TV show ever”, in a very vocal way. Unspoken, they all agreed that the Altean should begin with a comedy.

 _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ (Lance, who apparently 'shaped his all' from someone called Jake Peralta), _Community_ (Hunk), _Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt_ (surprisingly, Keith) and _It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia_ (Pidge, not as surprising with really worrisome) were the titles that keep coming up in loud and euphoric exclamations.

Shiro decided that was enough when Coran started to look panicked.

“Alright, alright! Everybody knock it off!” As he knew it would happen, all of them finally got quiet. But he didn't want to waste the opportunity so he concluded: “Plus, Coran should start with something somewhat familiar. So, Star Trek it is.” And because everybody was still watching him attentively, he added. “And the best comedy ever is _3rd Rock from The Sun_ and don't you forget it.”

They all started talking at the same time again. But Shiro smiled through the whole thing. Allura, who had been silently resting on the couch with her mice sleeping on her, throw him a tired but very pleased smile and recognized all his efforts an troubles with the whole plan so they could had this with a nod of her head.

Yes, thought Shiro. They'll be alright.

\--

So now they all watched _Star Trek: The Original Series_ in between missions, fights and training sessions, which was an excellent choice because, as it turns out, Allura and Coran found it incredible hilarious.

“They―They think that the dark matter―Hahahaha! Coran! Coran! Are you seeing this?”

“Oooh, princess! This is even funnier that that time they thought the Andorian looked like the Osshkics!”

All the paladins tried very hard to played it cool but Shiro gave both Lance and Keith two more nights of these kind of comments before they exploded on fanboy-ing rage.

Shiro was counting on it, actually. If he had to listen to another backhanded insult to Hikaru Sulu's pilot abilities he was going to scream. And he really didn't want that.

When it wasn't family-quality-time (Hunk insisted on the name), they all have things to do by themselves, at last. Shiro could easily see how happy and hopeful Allura was now that all the paladins were less inclined to depression, extreme moodiness and impossible boredom.

“You were right.” Allura told Shiro one day after a particularly well performed practice. “They are getting better faster now. And they look happier. Even you. It was a good call.”

She seemed so calm and pleased, even when she was irradiating power in that low-key way that royalty people could pull off. Shiro reasserted just how good of a great leader she was.

“Zarkon is not going to know what hit him!” Coran declared, full of energy.

Coran was right. Because the newfound happiness in familiar stuff and routines was paying off in both practice and real-time battle. In Voltron. They all could feel it.

As Allura pointed out, even Shiro himself was feeling better in a way that he didn't know he had been missing. All that time away from home, after all the things that had happened to him, he kinda thought it was going to be difficult to reconnect with the mundane stuff that he used to like. He was wrong. Re-reading a book that he knew he liked once brought him joy and relaxed him, just as usual.

To know that he hadn't changed _that much_ was such a relieve.

On the other hand, watching movies with his team was a great bonding experience. Yes, Lance and Keith and Pidge and Hunk sometimes started a petty argument about the plot just in the middle of the movies (sometimes it was a _two vs. two_ heated debate, instead of an _all against all;_ and that was very interesting, even if it was Shiro who thought so) but it was fine because even Allura seemed to have a nice time out of it.

Shiro liked it. Loved the normality of it all, in fact.

(And that one time that he found Keith and Lance just silently watching a new TV show that Pidge and Hunk had recommended, both engrossed in the plot, looking comfortables even though their legs were touching and Shiro's breathing pattern got messed up because that was his brother and... And Lance. Getting along. Totally alright with each other despite their differences. And Shiro didn't play favorites, he really didn't―ok, maybe Pidge―, so he couldn't explain, not even to himself, why that felt so monstrously important.)

And then they were fighting an especially hard battle against three battleship of the Galra empire, all seven of them trying to save a small planet that had been crying for help in real time, and that was _normality_ as well. Shiro's world was complicated like that.

Obviously, they had to form Voltron to beat them but it took a long while, lots of in-the-moment strategy and a surprise attack from Coran all the way from the Castle to defeat them. There had been anguish for a moment but then Hunk's bayard finally did the trick and they were victorious.

They all had been feeling pretty euphoric after that spectacular and well deserved victory. Nevertheless, the feeling was washing over quite quickly for they were starting to feel the toll of the battle in their own bodies. Even with the Lions separated once more, Shiro could feel just how tired everyone was.

“Ok, team.” He said, controlling his voice to a serious tone. “Let's go to the planet and see what else can we do. We might encounter more Galra once on land so be prepared.”

“Roger that!” Replied three voices.

Just three.

“Uhm. Lance?” Shiro asked, paying special attention to the Blue Lion's feed.

 _“I say I'll rule the world!”_ Suddenly sounded all around his cabin, like his cockpit had a stereo integrated and music was playing from it.

 _Exactly_ like his cockpit had a stereo integrated because music was playing from it. Inside his cabin.

But Lance's voice, half singing half yelling the song, was on the feed of his helmet as usual.

_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oooh!_

“Check out what Blue can do!” Lance said over the music that was still playing in the background. “She can broadcast live to all of you!”

“What are you doing?!” Keith asked. Shiro wasn't certain if his tone was exasperated or just surprised.

“Owh, Lance...”

“Again with this song?!”

“What's going on?!” Allura demanded.

Lance kept singing the song.

Hunk explained:  
“This is one of Lance's favorite songs.”

“It was his ringtone for months!” Screamed Pidge.

“And he used to make us listen to it before going inside the simulator, remember Pidge?”

“I couldn't stop singing this in my head for hours after that.”

“Hey, cry-babies! How about you enjoy the infinite delight that this tune is, because it's absolutely awesome, and just embrace the fact that is perfect, just like this moment?” Lance spoke again, over the music.

“Well. It is a good song!” Hunk relented.

 _“They say no way, oh, I say I'll rule the world!”_ Keith started singing, half shouting.

_Keith._

Shiro was speechless.

Lance was just as amazed.  
“Holy shit. Keith knows this song!”

“Shut up, idiot. I'm enjoying the fucking moment.”

“Holy shit. Keith likes my song!”

“It's not your song!”

“It is to--”

 _“I say yeah yeah yeah, they say no no no!”_ Hunk started singing as well, effectively interrupting any kind of fight between Keith and Lance.

Even Pidge started singing after that.

“What kind of music is this?” Asked Allura again, her voice uncertain.

Well, at least Shiro wasn't the only one that didn't know the song. But he had to admit that not only it was quite catchy, it was also _fitting_ for the occasion. And although the others obviously liked it (they were still shouting the lyrics on the feed), the song was so much like _Lance._

“I don't know, Princess. But it _is_ perfect indeed.” Shiro answered and then instantaneously felt the happiness that his words brought to Lance thanks to both the residual bond that Voltron always felt behind between them and the fact that Lance's blissful laughter made him stop his singing for a few seconds.

_I materialize the feeling_  
To carry on, to carry on.  
I know some will say I'm dreaming  
But I carry on, I carry on. 

At the end, even Shiro was singing/shouting with the rest of his team.

_I say I'll rule the world!_

They reached the planet's atmosphere and all their hearts were completely full of confidence once again.

“Good one, Lance.” Shiro took the time to say through the private video-cam they had, just a few minutes before they landed.

Lance's embarrassed and bright smile told him: “Naaah. It's nothing, my man! I mean... It was just a song.” His eyes were impossibly blue, all thanks to the lights from inside his own cabin, Shiro knew, but his cheeks were red and he looked incredible beautiful and entrancing.

Shiro dedicated him a smile and then hurried to close the communication. It wasn't the time for that. It was never going to be _a_ time for that.

And that was ok.

Black half-growled in protest for some reason.

“Come on, girl.” He told his Lion searching for the perfect angle for their landing. “Let's save this planet.”

\--

Another thing that was typical after Pidge's trip to Earth: impromptu dance sessions.

And, seriously, Shiro was ashamed he didn't see that one coming.

Hunk staged the whole thing, though. Even if it was unintentionally.

Pidge, Coran and Hunk were working on a new project somewhere when Hunk decided that he wanted some music in the background, still a thrilling treat after going for so long thinking that they needed the war to be over so they could hear any kind of human melody.

Hunk's music taste was quite diverse so it didn't take long before some high-up beat song started playing and for Coran's body to rock side to side.

“What's this?!” Coran asked as if he was shocked to discover that his body could follow any kind of rhythm.

“You're dancing, man!” Replied Hunk, smiling to him.

“You go, Coran!” Pidge cheered.

That was the moment that Lance hag arrived to the room, of course. Apparently, he took one look at Coran and decided on the spot that Coran had it, 'it' being the supernatural ability to dance whatever he wanted. And then Lance distracted everyone from working because he insisted in having an incredible annoying dance-off that Pidge would have totally won if it wasn't for the fact that Hunk could pull off some B-boys moves that were the equivalent of cheating.

Or at least, that was the story that Pidge told Shiro when she summed up the whole thing.

“And that's why Coran is in the cryopod, because he twisted his back trying to imitate Hunk.” Pidge finalized in a deceiving nonchalant tone.

Shiro didn't say anything about it. Pidge looked happier and healthier and way more relaxed that he had ever seen her, all things considered. What could he possibly say to that?

“Ehrm... Be more careful next time, then.” Supplied Allura, sporting a small smile.

After that, there was music in the background almost all the time when more than two of them were together.

Which was very ok with Keith, who apparently used to listen to music non-stop while he was working in his desert shack so “yeah, cool”. And Lance seemed very content singing all the lyrics he knew at any opportunity. Even the mice sometimes moved in with patterns with the music.

Admittedly, Shiro was the only one who had to get used to the lack of silence. Nevertheless, it took way less that he was expecting.

He supposed that seeing his team happy helped a lot.

And so Shiro had learned that whenever a song had a catchy trumpet or a heavy _come-let's-dance_ vibe, it was from Lance's selection. He had seen plenty of dance sessions to prove it.

“Ooohhh,” Said Hunk one day when a Lance's song started playing in the background. All the paladins were simply hanging out in the common area, resting after a training session, so they were all tired and and just starting to relax. “I have good memories of this song.” And then he promptly blushed all the way to his ears.

Lance crackled.

“Oh, buddy. Don't we all?” He said smiling in a very mischievous way.

“What do you mean? Keith asked.

Lance's eyebrow moved up and down at that. Hunk's blush got brighter.

“You know... This and that in the club, with our favorite wind-man, Jason Derulo. Yeah, a bit old but a _classic.”_

Keith looked lost. Pigde rolled her eyes. Shiro sat straighter on the couch, curious. Maybe a little bit more curious that it was healthy because of course that he had a suspicion of what Lance was talking about.

Hunk tried to divert the conversation to a safer zone.  
“Oh, man. That night Iverson caught us going back to our quarters but he thought we were coming from the kitchen instead, thank God. Do you remember all the cleaning that we had to do that week?”

Lance folded his arms.  
“Yeah, dude. We played Iverson really good that night. I thought his head was going to explode with rage and he didn't even know the truth!”

Shiro remembered Iverson and not in a totally good light. He smiled before commenting:

“I'd say you got lucky with him only giving you cleaning-duty as punishment.”

Lance smirked.  
“Yeah. But not as _lucky_ as Hunk.” Lance lightly elbowing the yellow paladin, a greasy grin on his lips. “Tell them, buddy. Tell them how that gorgeous brunette climbed you like a tree on the dance floor just before you disappeared for 38 minutes.”

Pigde whistle, impressed. Shiro could honestly said that he was impressed as well. Hunk's face got worryingly red.

“Oh―Oh, yeah?!” Hunk said, defensive mode easily activated now that he was embarrassed. “At least I could walk after, not like that time that I've to carry you back to our room after your time with―what'as his name? Todd? Bry--?!”

Lance screamed while he jumped over Hunk trying with all his might to literally shut his mouth. Lance's whole face was red, his eyes wide with with alarm.

Shiro felt his whole body tense up. He could feel how a shocked expression was taking over his features. His hands suddenly turned into fits, gripping his legs in warning so they didn't decided they wanted to be closer to Lance and _keep asking,_ using his large physic as a way to ensure that he would be getting the truth out of the blue paladin because he seriously wanted to know _more._

He wanted to know everything about that night and then erase the memory.

The intensity of his own feelings took him out of guard. He had to force himself to take concealed deep breaths to calm himself. It took him a while to understand that Lance's worried eyes were on him.

He wanted to talk to him, truly, but Shiro was busy trying not to lose his shit over the new information so he couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't over the lines of: _was this Todd important or you just remembered him because he gave it at you so hard that you needed help walking?_ He wasn't even sure if he could talk without growling.

That was bad. Very, very bad. Not to mention absurd.

Luckily, Keith broke the silence.

“Stop looking so shocked, you idiot. Nobody is really surprised that you're bi. We don't care.”

Lance's intense staring went to Keith after that.

“Hey! I―I don't care if you care! And I'm not bi, I'm pan, thank you very much.” Lance tried very hard to look nonchalant but the red on his face was so fierce that the effect was completely lost.

“Right. Whatever. Just don't flirt with the wrong alien and start _another_ war, ok?” Keith finished.

“What―Whatever, man.”

“Waah, Lance, buddy, I'm sorry, it kinda of just slip out. Plus we're so close and everything that I didn't think...”

“It really doesn't matter.” Said Pidge. “But I'm with Keith in this. If you feel the urge to flirt with an entire planet, refrain yourself.”

“That's not how being pan works!”

“ _I know that._ I'm saying it because you are you, not because of your sexuality, really.”

Lance grumbled, his arms raised up in a clear proof of exasperation.

“I won't! Believe it or not, I have plenty of self-control.”

“Yeah, that I don't believe.” Keith said high-fiving Pidge.

Hunk smiled at him, putting in hand on Lance's shoulder and calming him a bit.

“I believe you, man. I _know_ you do, ok?”

Lance smiled sweetly a few seconds after, taking refuge in Hunk's half hug.

“Thanks, Hunk.”

Shiro wanted out. Shiro wanted to walk out of the room. He also wanted to steal Hunk away and then interrogated him about every little detail that he knew about Lance. He kinda also wanted Lance to tell him everything.

Furthermore, Shiro wanted to stop feeling like all the eyes of his paladins were on him waiting for an answer, inconspicuous as they were. Like he needed to say “no, yeah, everything is fine and we could all be gay for all I care” but he freaking couldn't.

He didn't even know why he felt so overwhelmed.

But he had to get over with it because he was the leader. And Lance was looking seconds away of an anxiety attack.

He _had to._ He took another deep breath and hoped that his voice sounded normal.

In the ended it sounded two notch away from being flat.  
“You don't need to worry, Lance. I know you'll do fine. Maybe you'll flirt with the right alien and then they help us to stop the war.” _Aaaand then I would have to figured out what to do with the impulse of killing an ally. Now that sounds fun._

Lance's whole focus was on him after that and Shiro felt incredibly self-conscious, willing his face to remain neutral. A few ticks went by and then Lance gave him a slow and breathtaking smile, all full of gratitude and affection.

“Thanks, Shiro.”

Shiro vaguely returned the smile before getting up the couch and out of the room. He honestly believe he was going to pass out if he stayed a little more. Especially after he heard Pidge demand that Hunk showed them _his moves._ No, he couldn't bear the mere thought of Lance dancing right there.

Shiro would liked to said that he didn't sprint to his room looking for solitude but that would be a lie.

\--

Of course that meant that Shiro had another fantasy now. _Of course._

Welcome to the club, dancer-Lance (in one universe he was a professional dancer; in other they met in a dance club). 

Welcome to Shiro's personal hell.

“Wii...” Shiro fake-cheered.

Black laughed at him again, all the way from her hangar. And that was Shiro's life now.

\--

Dear God. He just couldn't escape, could he?

It had been a long week and they didn't have any time to unwind from all the Galra attacks that they had going on. Shiro knew his team was giving all they could but they were tired and trying to squeeze in time for both sleep and eat, and just keeping everything on balance so fighting this war didn't feel like a futile act.

Maybe that was the reason why Shiro himself could tell that he was more snappish that was necessary with everyone, his speech precise and on point and leaving no room for jokes. All the paladins seemed to be in great tension and alert when he was in room, all having the extra task of being careful with their words.

But no one had it worst than Lance, if Shiro was honest.

He tried not to, but lash out on Lance felt _natural_ with everything that was going on. Too much in too little time and when Shiro wasn't seriously taming the reins of his self control he would discover himself being way too hard on Lance.

He really hoped to never came out as cruel, but he was doubting even that when he finally noticed that Coran had started to give him the stinking eye every time Lance was near him, orbiting casually to the blue paladin as if the Altean was waiting for Lance to physically collapse thanks to Shiro's treatment.

Shiro didn't mean it really, and felt bad about it at the end of the day. But it wasn't like he was doing it on purpose, and usually he wouldn't even realize what he was doing until it was too late to take it back.

On the other hand, he was starting to think that they all would be better, and fight better, if Lance wasn't so _Lance_ all the time.

There, he said it.

But no, of course not. Of course that Lance had to be the leg with a problem in a hard landing, the one who wanted to use his bayard when there was no logical reason behind it and the one who smiled as if he wasn't as tired and fed up as everybody else, looking for a humorously relief when everything was serious for a reason, the one that just couldn't behave the way Shiro needed him to.

Shiro knew that everything would be fine again if only he could take some a time off but, as usual, that was impossible. And if he closed his eyes and tried to relax, Lance's image from only God-knew-which imaginary universe would infiltrated his thought asking _What's wrong?_ in a very real and worried voice, so he just couldn't.

Shiro might not be completely human anymore, but he was still more human than anything else and he simply couldn't.

So when he entered the common area one day and found Lance dancing all over Pidge, his hips moving from side to side forming and an imaginary number 8 to fucking _Rihanna,_ Shiro felt the whole universe was mocking him and Lance didn't understand the magnitude of their situation.

“What do you think you're doing?” Shiro asked in a voice far more colder than he expected.

All the paladins' eyes were on him after that. A blue pair more alarmed than the others.

“Just... You know... Dancing?” Lance answered in that way of him that made him look even younger than he was and kind of lost. Shiro hated it.

He wasn't there to babysit or to help raise boys. Hell, he wasn't even there to be happy and find love. He was there to free the universe from the worst kind of parasite imaginable, he was there to win the war. Surely they all knew that.

But maybe they needed a reminded.

“Dancing? We just came back from a 6 hours battle. Just came back from an unsuccessful mission that made us lost a whole ship of new prisoners that looked up to us, to _you,_ to save them. And we failed. And you're _dancing?”_

His focused his glare on Hunk and Keith for a few seconds before going to Pidge for just a beat. His attention returned to Lance, who looked paler than ever.

“Must I remind you that you should be using your time more wisely? You should be sleeping or eating, not fooling around.”

“But, I just thought...”

“No, Lance! You don't need to think at all! Just be the soldier the universe needs you to be and stop everything else! I don't need you to be _you_ right now! I need you to―”

“Shiro!” 

He stopped before going further with his completely absurd speech, he knew, all full of misplaced rage and frustration just because it was Keith. _Keith._ Keith who had never raised his voice to him before, who was always by his side, who was his brother before anything else.

Keith, who was now in front of Shiro, frowning at him with anger, shielding Lance behind him. Effectively protecting him from Shiro.

If that wasn't enough, Pidge's looked one second away from using her bayard on him. Hunk put his hand on Lance's shoulder and was glaring at Shiro with the most shocking and disappointed eyes the black paladin had ever seen on him.

Shiro felt his whole body turn cold while the realization of what he was saying dropped on him.

Oh, no. He screwed up. Big time.

The worst part, though, was Lance's face. His expression was completely neutral. His natural color hadn't returned yet and he looked vaguely sick, but the rest of him? All blank.

Shiro's panicking heart was beating so fast that he could heard it.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Keith asked, still confronting Shiro as if he was the enemy.

He shivered a bit but Shiro deserved it.

“No, no, Keith, it's ok.” Surprisingly, Lance distanced himself from Hunk and gently removed Keith out of the way so he was facing Shiro once again. “I can take it.” He declared in a very calm tone of voice.

Shiro was stunned.

“W-What? No, Lance. I'm-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have never...”

“No, no, no.” Lance repeated, patiently. His face still voided of emotion. “You obviously have a lot of things to say. You have for a while now in fact so come on, man. Let's get this over with.”

And then there was Lance, with his arms wide open, as if he was a human target for all of Shiro's rage. Everything in his posture screaming that he was ready to take on words that could cut him to pieces. His eyes dark with decision and sadness. 

Lance was being way more mature than Shiro. All calm, collected, and even resigned.  
“Come on then.” Lance insisted.

Shiro forced his legs to move. He backwardly retrieved his way to the door, still looking at Lance's progressively less composed features, avoiding the rest of his team. Whispering a last _I'm sorry_ he left them.

Once he was out of the room, Shiro had to make himself breathe.

Next thing he knew, he was sitting in Black's cockpit, shaking.

\--

Coran hated him.

Shiro knew that because Coran told him, both in actions and in words. 

“I hate you and that's why I didn't make you dinner.” Was his exact phrase. Then, he proceeded to over-enjoy his food-goo, letting out a couple of “Ummm, yummy!” and “This is delicious!” as if to torment Shiro's empty stomach.

Allura, the other one sitting at the table, sighed at loud but said nothing.

Shiro wasn't hungry but he got the point. Allura and Coran undoubtedly knew about his monumental fuck-up and were disappointed with him. Allura was probably trying to behave like a princess would: letting her paladins deal with the issue by themselves first. Coran, who was a protector to his very core, didn't feel the need to pretend that he wasn't pissed.

Plus, they all knew that Lance was his favorite after Allura, that was far for a secret. Shiro was ought to see this coming.

At the end of dinner, Allura just looked at Shiro with a kindness that he didn't deserve and told him to fix the situation. Then she went away.

Coran, though, had more to say.

“If you hurt him again I'll do everything in my power to make your life miserable. Remember: I have all of the Castle's codes, I can make your way back to your quarters a very difficult one.”

Shiro had half the mind to think that Coran was being a little bit unfair with that one but he swallow the temper that wanted out because he knew it was a reaction born out of being so ashamed of his quarrel with Lance. No leader, no matter how stressed out they feel, should talk like that to their people.

So Shiro just sucked it up and nodded. Coran left him alone after that.

Not one tick later, another wave of shamefulness roamed all over his body. If everything was awkward with Coran, Shiro couldn't even imagining how awful it was going to be with the rest of his team.

He needed to apologize.

\--

“I know you probably don't wanna see me but... Can we talk? Please?” Shiro said not even a second after Lance's room door opened.

Shiro felt so anxious and nervous that it took him a moment to actually see Lance. The blue paladin suffered an impressive transformation while Shiro was looking at him. Obviously Lance wasn't expecting him when he opened the door, his expression had been a tired and sad one, and then it shifted itself to the same blank face that Shiro had seen on Lance a couple of hours ago.

Lance was armoring himself for an attack, Shiro realized. Another shiver of shame and regret took over his body but he paid no attention to it.

“Sure, man. What's up?” Although Lance's words were pretty normal, like he was fine, his voice was almost shaking. He didn't invite Shiro inside his room nor he step out of it, Shiro noticed.

Shiro wanted to punch himself. _You did this,_ he thought, _now face the consequences. He will never trust you fully again. And that's for the best because you're aren't all human, you're a monst―._

Shiro cleared his throat before talking.

“Would you mind to come with me?” He asked hunching his shoulders and to ducking his head a bit, trying his very best to look as nonthreatening as possible. “Please?”

The five whole seconds that Lance took to answer felt like 5 different eternities. Nonetheless, there it was, a simple nod, a brave one. And then Lance pushed himself out of his room and stood beside Shiro waiting for him to lead the way.

Shiro's human hand was shaking uncontrollably so he put it in his pocket and started walking, over-conscious of all of Lance's movements at his side. Shiro could tell that Lance was jittery.

Shiro took them both through the same path he usually took to the Black Lion. A while ago he had discovered a very small room with a comfy couch in it, for those occasions when whoever was the black paladin was too tired to get to their room after a battle, Shiro supposed. Besides the couch, there was a holo-projector machine that, when activated, would show in soft blue light all the stars and constellations that were close to the castle.

A map for strategy, Shiro believed, for rushed emergency meetings.

He turned on the machine but wasn't going to used it to plan an attack, on the contrary, he wished the holo-projector would put both Lance's and his own nerves at ease.

A second later the whole room was showing lots and lots of a variety of blue dots, all of them moving out of existence in a fairly slow pace for the current speed of the castle. Shiro smiled when he heard Lance's surprised gasp.

“Pretty cool, ah?” Shiro said just to break the ice.

“Yeah...”

“Believe it or not, the couch is not the best spot for watching these stars. But right here.” And then he promptly sat on the floor, a meter from the couch, being in the literal center of the small universe that the holo-machine was projecting. He finally looked at Lance, forcing a smile to his lips, and invited him over with his Galra hand.

Lance didn't hesitated, he was sitting by side just a moment later.

Shiro decided to take a few seconds to organize his thoughts. He wanted to apologize in a gently way, one that made Lance known that he was really sorry; he needed to fix thing correctly or more than his own stupid heart would suffer for it.

Shiro sighed, wondering where to start.

“It's very pretty.” Lance commented after a the silence stretched itself too much.

 _Don't be a coward now,_ Shiro reprimanded himself. He took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

“Lance, I'm really sorry.”  
“Shiro, you don't need to apologize.”

They said in the exact same second. Lance's eyes were fixed on some big stars in front of him; Shiro felt his all calm facade break a little.

“What do you mean I don't need to apologize? Of course I have to! I was way out of line and full of myself. You didn't deserve that I took my bad temper on you.”

Lance shrugged.

“I mean I get it... But, that's a talent of mine.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just make people angry, I guess.” Lance put his hands behind himself, taking a bit of his own weight on his arms. He was still looking at anything but Shiro. “It's ok. I'm used to take on other people's rage. I'm not saying that I'm always at fault... But, yeah, I know that I'm a good outlet.”

Shiro was speechless. His mind was studying Lance, who was trying to look as nonchalant as he could, while simultaneously processing what he had just heard.

His silent must have being a powerful one because a tick later Lance was looking at him, eyes completely open and alarmed.

“I didn't―I mean, it's not a big deal! Honest. I know myself and I know people just... Feel comfortable being angry at me, I think. Ehrm... What I'm saying is... I get it. I'm not the best company to have around in a moment of crisis and I tend to push people to their limits so, yeah, it's fine if they want to explode at me, I'm used to it. They feel better after, and everything. A win-win situation, am I right?”

Lance smiled, looking sad and more resigned that Shiro had ever seen him. Shiro was still feeling overwhelmed with all that new information.

“In which part of all that are you winning anything?” Shiro asked, his voice sounded like concrete thanks to his very tight gritted teeth. Shiro was feeling angry again, and very frustrated.

“I... Help them feel better...?” Lance offered, panicking a bit. “I―I―Shiro, I know it's not personal, I mean, yeah, sure, a _bit,_ but I know it's just the easiest thing in the world to just―”

“To just let you handle their― _our_ rage?!”

“Eh... Yes?” Suddenly Lance frowned, as if he _now_ was offended with Shiro's attitude. “Hey! Are you not listening to what I'm saying? I'm saying that everything's fine! I know you didn't mean all that. It's ok! You don't need to apo―“

“Of course I need to apologize, Lance! I have to! You don't deserve that kind of treatment from anyone. No matter how much you sometimes annoy other people, you aren't suppose to be their very convenient outlet!”

Lance kept frowning but now in confusion. Shiro continued talking, wanting to explain his point a little more.

“You are an great person. You are―You are an excellent pilot. You _are,_ so stop giving me that look! I seriously think you were always destined to pilot Blue and that's why you didn't feel totally at home in the simulator back at the garrison. I know you're incredibly good at planning strategies on the spot and that you are our leg because you can carry so much...”

Shiro half hugged Lance before he kept going, his voice getting more intimate with the new closeness.

“You are our heart, Lance. You keep us sane and make us laugh and feel happy and you constantly remind us―remind _me_ why we're fighting. You―You keep me on balance, you make me feel human. I mean, also the others but you... You're just so, so special to me. You're everything I―.”

Lance's surprised gaze made him stop before he said something even more embarrassing. Lance looked stunned. Mind as well get this over with, Shiro thought. He tried to make his voice sound calm and collect but he had no way of knowing if it was working.

“What I'm trying to tell you is that... I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I made you feel like it was your responsibility to take my frustration on, and I'm sorry to made you feel the same way that other assholes had made you feel. And I'm sorry I lied... I think I need you to be you more than anything else. You deserve better. I apologize, both as leader and as... Me. Just me.”

Lance needed more than a few seconds to collect himself. Shiro was grateful because he needed time as well. He didn't mean to said all that but he supposed it was inevitable; Shiro felt too much for Lance, it was impossible to keep all that out of his apology.

After a moment, Lance tentatively smiled at him, his eyes a bit watery on the sides. He cleared his throat before talking.

“You know... If I didn't know better, I'll say you just confessed to me.” Lance teased.

And maybe Shiro was even more tired than he thought because he just let himself keep looking at Lance, absorbing the blue of his eyes this close so he would never forget them and said nothing about the confession.

So what if Lance knew? Maybe that was the best. To just let it all out in the open.

Shiro could tell the moment Lance understood his silence as an affirmation because all of his face got a really surprised look on it and his eyes were so big the lights of the fake stars were reflecting on them.

“W-What? But that's impossible!”

Shiro shrugged while his brain entered in a numb calm.

Suddenly, for Shiro's eternal puzzlement, Lance whole posture changed to an angry one. A really angry one.

“Stop that!” He almost shouted, separating himself from Shiro's hug. “Fine, I accept your apology but you don't have to lie to make me believe you. Don't mock me with this Shiro, 'cuz that's too much and it does make me mad!”

Shiro frowned.

“Why would I lie about this?”

“Because is freaking impossible!” Lance actually shouted this time, even though Shiro was still sitting pretty close to him. “Come on! You want me to believe that you, _you_ look at me and think 'yeah, I want that'. _Pleh-ase!_ We know each other too much for that!”

Shiro was flabbergasted.

“What?! Lance, what the hell is that supposed to mean?! And that we know each other too much? So what? That's good, isn't?!”

“Not if you're going to lie! You can't get away with it!”

“I'm not lying!” Now Shiro was shouting too. “I really like you! Why don't you believe me?”

“Because I'm _me_ and you are _you!_ ” Lance said moving his hands away from one another, as if to say that Shiro and Lance were just too different, too far away for Shiro to like him.

Shiro was feeling frustrated again. He wondered if it was a Lance thing that he was this difficult when Shiro was actually saying something nice.

Unless of course, it wasn't nice at all. Maybe Shiro wasn't getting the right message here. Maybe Lance was panicking because he thought Shiro wanted something out of his confession and Lance really, really didn't.

He sighed, willing his temper to stay calm.

“Lance... I don't―I don't want you to feel pressured to do anything here. I didn't even plan to tell you, it just... slipped out and the felt like it was too late to take it back. I don't want to fight anymore, especially not about this. Which, for the record, I knew you'd be smart enough to reject so,... Let's just move past it. Let's just move past everything and be fine again. I can pretend that all is fine, I've been doing it all this while so, we don't need to talk about this anymore. Can we do that?”

Lance looked at him, all the fight out of him for once, his features slack with astonishment. Shiro tried to hold his gaze the whole time but, in the end, he felt the way his cheeks gaining color and Shiro turned his focus to the moving stars surrounding them.

“Holy shit.” He heard Lance whispered. “Holy shit. Are―Are you serious? You, _you_ really...?”

Shiro sighed, he had nothing else to say.

Lance was silent for a couple of minutes. Then, surprising Shiro again, he laughed. Not in a loud way, but in a delighted, giggly way. Shiro needed to look at him just one second to know that Lance was really happy.

Shiro's heart went crazy at the sight. Still, he tried to seemed collect and compose when Lance finally stopped his obviously pleased laughter. He couldn't help but smile back, though.

“Why?” Lance asked in a very soft voice. At Shiro's noticeable confusion he continued. “Why do you like me? I mean, you're the best of the best. Seriously, I haven't met anyone that is as awesome as you are and believe me, I've traveled the _universe._ So, what could I ever do for you?”

Shiro was a little ashamed to admit that he was still confused. There was Lance, now completely relaxed by his side, smiling tenderly at him but with a sad aura around him. Shiro couldn't understand it.

He wanted to shake Lance out of his weirdly pessimist space of mind. He wanted to said that he wasn't awesome, that he wasn't even totally human. He also wanted to kiss him to prove a million points that were starting to get relevant.

He did neither. He decided for the truth.

“You make me happy. And make me feel... Normal. But, in a good way! I mean... You're, I don't know, I honestly just think you're great so, yeah, I do look at you sometimes and think oh, if only I could have him. Because, Lance, you're so important to me, to all of us.” Feeling self-conscious, Shiro added. “Again, I don't want you to feel like you need to do anything about my feelings, that's on me; I'll deal with them but I promise I would never make you feel like you're the outlet of my frustration when, in reality, it's all the contrary.”

After that, Shiro knew he was furiously blushing. Hell, even Lance was blushing, evidently surprised.

“So... What do I do that makes you happy?” Lance timidly asked, a teasing grin adorning his lips.

Shiro swallowed a groan. Lance was Lance no matter what, it seemed. That thought made him smile.

“I think that's enough for your ego for one night.”

“Nooo! Oh, come on, Shiro! Come oooonnn! Tell me~!”

“Well, I can assure you that that tone doesn't make me happy.”

Lance pouted.

“But-But, I need to know! It's―You know, it's important! Oh! OH! I know! Tell you what, you tell me what can I do to make you happy and I gave you a head massage, because, man, no offense, but you look like you need one.”

Shiro started at him. Something incredibly similar to hope jumped in his chest.

“I―” He wanted to say no, truly, but then Lance crossed his leg, indian style, and patted his lap in invitation, porting the most charming smile ever and...

Ok, so maybe Shiro wanted a head massage, he had never had one before. Better if he knew what the hell that was before he was dead. And since he could easily die the next day, well...

He stretched his body on the floor, his head now surrounded by Lance's legs. He closed his eyes when he saw that Lance's smile turned sweet once more and his hands started to lightly comb his hair.

It was nice. But then Lance's finger pressed at seemly random ports on his head, his temple and the base of his neck and _God,_ Lance knew what he was doing.

He growled before he could stop himself.

“Oh, I see. This makes you happy, then.” He knew that Lance was smiling even without opening his eyes.

Shiro felt himself blush again but said nothing. He just kept enjoying the glorious massage, not knowing when the occasion would repeat itself. Especially know that he knew that he needed to put some distance between him and Lance.

But that was a thought for another time, a less pleasured one.

“Hey, Shiro?” Lance said with a soft, delicate voice.

“Mmh?”

“I still think you're incredible. Even now that―ehmmg―that you aren't my ultimate hero anymore. I mean, I admire you lots but... I know you enough now to respect you and like you as well. You make us strong; you make me feel strong and brave. You deserve the best. And I want to keep making you happy, ok? _I will,_ in fact. But... Would you―Would you let me? Can we... Be happy?”

Shiro opened his eyes. He believed shock was written all over his features, but Lance's shy smile calmed his nerves a bit.

Shiro closed his eyes again, dizzied with all the things he was feeling at the same time.

“... We shall see.” He answered at last.

A few seconds after, Lance started his massage again.

He also started to softly sing a song. Shiro smiled, content. For once in his reality didn't have anything to envy to his imagination.

\--

For the first time in years, Shiro overslept on the next day.

He also felt lighter on the shoulders and the habitual morning headache didn't show up.

Shiro didn't want to think it got anything to do with Lance but he smiled to the memory of the last night, nonetheless.

 _Now what?_ He thought.

 _We shall see,_ he repeated, feeling giddy.

He arrived to the dinner room that morning, fulling expecting an awkward breakfast, but Lance saved all of them from a very embarrassing talk.

“Gooood morning, Shiro!” he greeted, overjoyed and smiling.

Shiro couldn't help but smile back.

“Oh, right. Shiro apologized yesterday and he even said that he was going to make it up to me giving me the morning free, so, yeah, really, I would love to train with the rest of you but our leader had spoken and all.”

“I don't recall saying that. Ever.”

Keith snarked.

“If Shiro ever said that, then it's not Shiro. Unless is for Pidge but we all made peace with that.”

“But-But the space looks so beautiful this morning! Maybe we can do something else?” Lance adventured.

Shiro smirked.

“Sure. After practice.”

Lance groaned.

“Fine, fine.”

Keith dedicated him a smile. Shiro felt the last couple of knots in his stomach give a little. When he roamed his gaze around the table, he noticed that Hunk was giving him a thump up, Coran nodded his head once, pleased, and Pidge and Allura were smiling at him as well.

Suddenly, he could breath again. He didn't even know he had been that worried.

“So, for today's practice I was thinking about the maze?”

A collective groan went around the table, the Altean seemed satisfied with his selection.

All was well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * If you haven't seen all the TV shows suggested in this fic, well, you should! (I swear Jake Peralta is Lance as an adult!)  
> * [Walk Off The Earth - Rule the World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukigjUvwAR4) (GREAT SONG! -- Did I just write 17k of fluff so I could have Lance singing this song in all the readers' minds? Yes. I did. And I'm proud)  
> * I'm fan of people protecting Lance. And if it's Keith or Coran the one jumping to defend Lance? YES! That's my trope.  
> * The next chapter on Day 3 of the Shance Week.  
> * Thank you for reading!


	2. Just as long as you know you got me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Thank you for the greatest beta reader ever: [Berserkered](http://shiros-hero.tumblr.com/), you're awesome!
> 
> * Day 3 of the Shance Week: Confidence/Insecurity.

Shiro wasn't expecting anything to change now that Lance knew that he liked him, not really.

And maybe nothing much had changed.

Except something which was pretty obvious.

Lance wasn't late for practice or for the early-hour battle anymore. And that was because he now went to Shiro's room early in the morning, always carrying with him a juice of something or another.

“Oooh, man.” Lance complained for the fifth day in a row as he quietly walked into Shiro's room without permission. “Just how much of an early riser are you? _Tsk!_ I'll never surprise you in bed at this rate...”

_“What?”_

“I—I mean... As a wake up call! You know? I'll bring you juice to wake you up, to help in your transition from asleep to awake. Hehe, oh well. Anyhow! I brought you this one today! Hunk said that the strawberries are going to be ready soon but not just yet so, in the meantime, drink this fabulous juice of weird space-fruit. It tastes vaguely like tangerine.”

After giving Shiro the beverage, Lance made his way into Shiro's bed, closing his eyes two seconds after covering himself with the sheets. It was as if Lance was too tired after pouring juice in a glass and having to walk all the way to Shiro's quarters.

Shiro sipped some juice. Yes. It did taste a little bit like tangerine.

But it was already the fifth day that Lance was doing this and it really  needed to end.

Shiro sat on the bed, committing Lance's sleepy features to memory. Then, with much more tenderness that he had planned to, he started caressing Lance's hair. He wasn't ready to feel the softness with his human hand just yet so he used the robotic one.

Lance sighed, utterly content.

“Why are you doing this, Lance?”

“Mmh. I'm sleepy. You know I'll get up in a few minutes.”

“No. I mean... This. The whole waking up really early just to bring me some juice that I never asked for.”

Lance shrugged, looking relaxed in his bed.

“Breakfast it's still the most important meal of the day, even in space, Shiro.”

“Lance,” Shiro said with a serious voice, even when his hand was still fondling Lance's hair. “You know what I'm talking about.”

More than a few seconds passed in silence. Shiro was about to retrieve his hand and ask Lance to just stop doing anything that was different from before when Lance finally answered.

“Because I want to make you happy.” He opened his eyes and looked straight at Shiro's, looking just as serious even when he was clearly still half-asleep. “I want to take care of you and make you happy.”

Shiro didn't know what to say to that. He wasn't even sure he could make his voice work. So he just kept combing Lance's hair even after Lance closed his eyes once again.

Shiro could tell that Lance was about to fall completely asleep when he asked, voice low, “Does it make _you_ happy? ... To make me happy, I mean.”

Lance smiled just a bit later, the sound of his voice dragging. He was undoubtedly making an effort to respond.

“Very. Yes. Just... Try to sleep more. I want... To wake you up... And, the morning, good, you know? Please?”

Shiro smiled.

“Sweet dreams, Lance.”

“Uh-hum.”

Lance was late to practice that morning, looking well rested even though he had to skip breakfast. Allura took upon herself to nag him about it. Shiro couldn't bring himself to look at Lance in the eyes while he passed over some of the weird tangerine-flavored juice so the blue paladin didn't have to suffer that much for his empty stomach.

Lance still managed to wink at him a few minutes later. He looked happy.

\--

Lance didn't stop.

Every morning Shiro made sure to be in his room, no matter how much he knew he could take advantage of the time to do one of the many things he needed to, just so Lance could find him, give him a weird juice and then sleep some more on Shiro's bed.

There was even one morning when Lance just looked at him, rolled his eyes, gave him the juice and then, without saying a word, went to his bed. He was deep asleep no more than a moment later.

Shiro had to be careful then, or he would be smiling for no reason the rest of the day.

Shiro's shoulders were less tense now. That might or might not have to do with Lance's talented fingers and his massages.

Sometimes, after a battle, Lance would find a time when the two of them were alone to ask if Shiro wanted a massage, “because, dude, after all that fighting? Black jumped around so much _I_ got knots in my neck just watching.”

The first few times he declined the offer but he was running out of excuses and Lance looked pretty determined to keep asking so...

So now Shiro got a massage after every encounter with the Galra. Most days, that was the best reward.

Lance would sing softly after he ran out of things to say. Sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English. Shiro liked the whole routine very much.

It was dangerous — how easy it was to get used to Lance's touch and voice and caring. But Shiro rolled with it because he didn't have the self-control to say no.

 _Maybe I really am a masochistic,_ he thought one day.

 _Maybe you finally allowed yourself to be happy!,_ Black cheered.

In the end it didn't matter because the result was the same; Lance was taking care of him in all the little moment of intimacy that he could squeeze in their agitated days.

Shiro couldn't explain how it had got to that. Why Lance was attending him when Shiro was fairly sure that it was supposed to be the other way around. Shiro tried to reciprocate when he could: making sure that Lance ate and sleep well, pointing out how he could improve his hand-to-hand combat and even watching all the movies that Lance wanted.

It didn't feel like he did enough; but he wasn't sure if he could do more.

That was until one day, after a particularly hard battle on which Shiro and Keith had had to play bait while Pidge, Hunk and Lance destroyed _seven_ huge-ass laser cannons that were just as nasty as they were irksome. When they finally formed Voltron, Black and Red were in such a poor state that they ended up rushing the job just so they could finish as fast as they could.

Keith and Shiro felt beat after. At least Shiro knew that a shoulder-rub was in his agenda.

Lance didn't disappointed him. An hour after dinner, Lance found Shiro roaming the hallways of the castle. Although his gaze was more somber than usual, Shiro followed him to their normal spot, the one close to the Black Lion, with the holo-projector.

Wordlessly, Lance took his accustomed spot on the armrest of the sofa, his long legs open in invitation for Shiro to sit in between them, on the couch itself, back to chest, so Lance could move his hand at his whim through Shiro’s shoulders and upper back.

Shiro knew right away that something was off but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Lance's posture was stiff and rigid, but that could have been thanks to today's battle.

He raised an eyebrow in silent question. Lance's face turned challenging just before patting the spot reserved for Shiro once more. Shiro sighed, resigned, and sat in his usual position, feeling Lance's hands on his nape just a second later, as gentle as always.

He still said nothing.

Shiro was counting the minutes, enjoying the massage but unable to fully relax. Something wasn't right.

Normally, Lance would be commenting everything about the fight. Every little detail. He did have a healthy bias for Shiro's and his own stunts, and usually critiqued Keith's in hissed whispers, but he always talked about it.

When he was nervous for a reason or another, Lance would ramble. About whatever. The Alteans' hair was a recurrent theme. And all the videogames that he wished he could play against Pidge and Keith, about how much he hoped Hunk remembered a latin recipe that he really wanted to try again.

Tonight, there was nothing. Just silence.

That was unnerving, to say the least. Lance's silence was a powerful one. And Shiro couldn't take it anymore.

Shiro moved his hand, the human one, to Lance's hand on his shoulder, stopping his action at once. Gently, he took it inside his own and tightened up a bit. Lance went rigid at his back.

Trying to move the less he could, he turned around on the couch, still between Lance's long legs but now looking at his face. He hoped his own features were calm and open because Lance looked really upset this close.

“What's wrong?” Shiro asked, smooth voice on point. “What's going on?”

Lance was distressed, that much Shiro could tell. And agitated.

“You were very bold today.” Lance said at last, in a very controlled voice.

And, ok, so Shiro had heard the same phrase in the past, but with a different tone. Normally, it a was in a loud, over-excited tone, almost alway starting with a 'Oh my God, Shiro!' and ending with 'we just know how to fly, don't we?'.

This was completely different.

“Lance?”

Lance flushed, his hands moving in sharp and angry movements through the air while speaking.

“Nothing! _Geeez_. It's nothing, really! Just—I just need to keep giving you—”

“No.” Shiro interrupted him while grabbing both of Lance's hand between his. “Not until you tell me what's bothering you.”

Lance frowned, his face still red but stubborn looking.

“Or what? You're gonna go all leader over my ass? I'm letting you know that right now, you can't command me to do anything!”

Shiro was surprised, but refused to let go of Lance's hands even though the blue paladin was trying his best to get them free. Shiro willed himself to take a very deep breath, controlling his temper, before answering in a careful voice.

Lance was trying to provoke him to get out of the interrogation, Shiro knew, but that didn't mean he was going to let him.

“I know that I can't command you to do anything while we're here. I know that, and I thought you understood that I'm not going to.” Shiro took another deep breath. “But Lance, I also thought that you knew that you can tell me anything, especially in these moments. I just want to help you, but you gotta talk to me, buddy, or this isn't going to work.”

At least, his words had the desired effect because Lance seemed startled into silence again.

It lasted two seconds, though.

“Well—Well! Yeah! I know that! It's just that when we were fighting I couldn't deal with the—with the... Incertidumbre! Oh my God, my English is failing! Do you have any idea since when this didn't happen to me? Since I was 5 and I thought everyone knew English and Spanish! And how the fuck do you say 'incertidumbre' in English?! El coño de su reputísima madre!”

To Shiro's ultimate amusement, Lance proceeded to say what Shiro guessed were all the swearwords he knew in Spanish.

It took approximately 40 full seconds of cursing but it did work, because Lance's shoulders were less tense and his eyes looked brighter in the end.

It was Lance's turn to take a calming deep breath, then, he smiled.

“Hey, I feel better.”

“I can see that.” Shiro told him, fighting a relieved smile.

Lance blushed again after a tick, this time embarrassed.

“I'm sorry, Shiro. I... went overboard right there, I guess. Apologies.”

Shiro finally smiled.

“That's fine. I actually didn't understood much. Nor I know what... _inquertimbre_ means...?”

Lance laughed.

“Umh... 'Incertidumbre'. It means 'uncertainty' but it goes a little more farther than that, I think.”

“Big word.”

“Yeah.”

Shiro waited a few seconds. He was starting to get the idea of what had bothered Lance so much but he still had many doubts and he didn't want to step on Lance's nerves again.

He didn't know how to ask. Maybe Lance wasn't the only one with a communication problem. That could be an issue, now that he thought about it.

“I was worried.” Lance supplied at last. “It drove me mad, for a few seconds, when you took that big hit and you didn't answer right away. I got really worried. And—and before you say anything, _I know_ it's our job and _you know_ I have faith in you but... I got worried. I was so worried about you.”

Shiro's heart stopped in his chest, or he stopped breathing, or the time stopped moving. Because something significant had just happened and Shiro felt that in a way that his own, personal universe moved from its axis, that a new reality had formed before his eyes just because of a phrase.

Before he could realize what he was doing, he hugged Lance on his waist and pulled him to his lap. Lance legs accommodated themselves around Shiro's whole body and Lance's arms were at home over his shoulders. Lance put his face in Shiro's neck and Shiro felt his felt Lance’s breathe roll over his skin.

Shiro hugged him tighter and finally said the words that he had heard in his head countless times, from an imaginary dialogue in his favorite fantasy.

“I'm here.”

Lance's hug got stronger as well. Shiro felt Lance's warmth all over him, he could easily pick his crazy heart beats, pretty much like his own, could feel that Lance was slightly trembling against his body, moving but not trying to escape but to get even closer. It was impossible but Shiro loved that he tried, nonetheless.

Shiro felt safe in an extraordinary new way. His mind felt at once in overdrive and very calm. His human hand was shaking while still holding Lance.

“I wasn't sure if I was allowed to do this. I really wanted to touch you when you came out of your lion, that was all I wanted to do.” Lance whispered. “It was shit to wait until after dinner. It's stupid, I know you are fine, but I still wanted to—”

Shiro kissed him.

Not the romantic, innocent kiss that he pictured when he allowed himself to think about the next step in his and Lance's relationship, but a passionate kiss. An uncontrollable one. Their teeth clashed for a second and then their lips were moving, moving, moving, all in desperation. It wasn't about gentleness or pleasure, it was about being close and reassured that they were together and fine.

They were still alive, against all odds.

And, even more surprising, Shiro was finally, finally kissing Lance. Lance was kissing him back with the same amount of emotion if not more.

Shiro's head was spinning and his eyes were closed and he kept holding Lance while he attempted to breath through it all.

They broke the kiss, panting a bit.

Lance was beautiful in the soft light, with his lips still slightly parted and his eyes dazzled. He looked ravished and dizzy; he also looked hungry.

Shiro wondered if he looked the same. If Lance could see him and guess that they were only just starting.

Shiro nodded, more to himself than anything. Yes. He was done denying all the obvious feelings that both had for each other. Yes, it was going to be a process; yes, they probably were going to fight even more, and more likely than not Lance was going to drive him crazy but he could tell that the reward was going to be so, so worth it.

Lance focused his gaze on him for a few charged seconds. Then he took Shiro's face in his hands and kissed him again. Slowly this time, enjoying the exciting new feeling.

_Would you let me? Can we be happy?  
Yes. Lets._

\--

One morning almost two week later, Shiro found himself pausing while he was brushing his teeth, a mischievous idea being born in his brain. Ok, maybe it wasn't _that_ wicked, nonetheless, he had to actively fight against a smile so he could finish his oral hygiene.

And if everything went according to his plan, he was going to need his breath to be fresh.

Without bothering to dress himself with more than his boxers and the t-shirt he normally used to sleep in, Shiro went back to bed, moved around his pillow until he was comfortable (he wasn't used to be in bed more than he strictly needed to, so that took a while) and then waited, looking at the door and trying not to count the seconds.

He felt an emotion very similar to excitement and enjoyment settling in his stomach. That made him pause again because it had been a long while since he had felt such a thing without being somehow related to the intergalactic war that they were living.

But that was The Lance Effect™, Shiro guessed. Making him feel like he was completely human again for a little while.

In fact, it might as well _be_ an totally real effect because Shiro's temper and normal gloominess had been better these last few days. Shiro had been feeling great, excellent even, all things considered. Lance was an attentive partner. Expressing just the right amount of warmth and freedom; openly taking care of Shiro just when the time was right, disarming him little by little with smalltalk and blinding smiles.

To Shiro's surprise, Lance, who wasn't the most inconspicuous of all the paladins, was being very, very private about their new relationship; taking his time exploring Shiro's moods and limits without hurry in the little moments they had. It was like Lance was absolutely sure he had all the time in the universe. Like he wanted to do this _right._

And really, that thought brought Shiro the same amount of giddiness and nervousness. Who knew Lance would be so good at reading Shiro's silent and probably unknown cues about himself and the way he needed their relationship to be? Not even Shiro's imagination could have done that.

He had kinda thought he was going to be the one leading and redirecting Lance; helping Lance to feel well and safe. He never once thought he could be led, that he would be one expending the best part of a night embraced by Lance's arms and legs while his fingers brushed against the line of his hair until Shiro was sure he could sleep for the rest of the night hours in peace.

Shiro didn't know why, especially with the amount of hours wholly dedicated to imagine Lance in different scenarios, he never fully expected Lance to be this potentially qualified to be...

His equal.

And that was the root of the giddy thoughts Shiro had had recently.

Soon enough, though, Shiro heard the telltale signs that Lance was about to open his door. Shiro wasn't disappointed. There Lance stood, holding whatever strange juice he made Shiro this morning in one hand, the other hand scratching his left eye, looking more asleep than awake, as usual.

Shiro grinned and waited.

Yes, there was Lance's gaze roaming all over his room, searching for Shiro aaaaand, oh, yes. There they were. Those blue eyes opened wide, clearly surprised with locating Shiro in bed after a solid month of Lance accustoming himself to find Shiro up and about even when Lance made the immense effort of waking up really, really early.

Shiro suppressed a giggle.

“Good morning, Lance.” Shiro said instead.

It took Lance a few seconds of moving his lips to empty air before he found his voice.

“You—You... are... still in bed...”

Shiro made a show of looking around himself as if checking he was indeed on his bed, playing innocent and a little coy for Lance.

“Oh, yes. I am. I thought, well, after yesterday battle I could afford a little more time resting.”

“... Right.”

A moment in silence. Shiro smiled, enjoying the pink color that was making itself more and more present in Lance's cheeks.

“Well?”

“Uhm?”

“Are you coming in?”

Lance took two step into his room, still looking at Shiro with unblinking eyes.

Shiro chuckled.

“All right, then. What does my juice taste as today?”

“Guanábana.”

Shiro cocked his neck to a side, confused and totally amused by Lance's inability to stick to one language when he was focused in something else.

“Wuan—What? I'm sorry?”

“I—I don't know, man. Guanábana. It tastes good. It's sweet and good. Uhum. In bed.”

“It tastes good in bed?” Shiro parroted, smirking.

“What?!” Lance recoiled as if Shiro had shot him a bomb at his feet. His face was even redder than before and his hands moved discordantly to whatever he was saying about beds, and hot guys, and juice and spilling and Shiro couldn't conceal his amusement anymore and laughed at loud, cutting Lance's speech.

“Lance, just... Come to bed.” Shiro invited him in, patting the mattress with his prosthetic hand for good measure.

Lance paused for a bit before a breathtaking smile took over his features. Finally, he let go of the glass full with a white-colored liquid on Shiro's desk and cannon-balled himself into the bed. Laughing softly, Lance rearranged Shiro into the position of his preference and then proceeded to rest almost all of his weight on Shiro's front, interlocking their long legs as they went.

Lance took a moment to cover them with the sheet before resting his head over Shiro's collarbone, laying them down chest to chest. Shiro smiled, pleased with this behavior. He cuddled Lance between his arms, human hand caressing his back over his PJs.

Lance gave a delighted sigh and Shiro could have bet he had closed his eyes.

“You waited for me in bed.” Lance said in a quiet and dreamily voice. Shiro felt Lance's soft breaths on his neck.

“Yes. Thought I could try it, for once.”

Lance laughed.

“Thank you.”

Shiro didn't predict that answer, especially not from Lance, so he didn't know what to do with the way his tongue got confused inside his mouth. He wanted to say _I think I do so little._ And, _You are always the one initiating our time together._ And _You're the one taking care of me, this is the least I could do._ But he couldn't really put his throat to work, so Shiro settled to hug Lance in a tighter embrace.

Lance's hand started moving a bit after awhile of just holding each other. His hand traveled lightly all over Shiro's right shoulder and arm, taking his time to press his fingers in the prosthetic as if it was more delicate than flesh and bones. Then, Lance moved until he was resting at Shiro's right side and his other hand did the same path on Shiro's left shoulder and human arm and hand.

Shiro knew Lance was fascinated by the feeling if only because he was pretty caught up into it himself—because Lance was quiet, his touch reverent. Shiro felt his skin tingling even when the rest of him got more relaxed than ever.

Finally satisfied with his explorations, Lance interweaved their human hands together and sighed again.

“This is nice.” Lance sentenced.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Oh quiznak. Isn't this the craziest thing ever?”

Shiro continued caressing Lance's back.

“What do you mean?”

Lance didn't lift his head, talking against Shiro's chest like it was the most normal thing in the universe.

“Us.” A tick later, Shiro physically felt the way Lance's body went a little rigid above his own. “Eeehh. Well, I mean... Because we're... We are together, right? You know, together- _together_?”

Shiro took a deep breath and made a point of tightening his embrace on Lance for a second.

“Yes, Lance. Of course we are together- _together_.”

Once again, Lance's body relaxed completely and Shiro felt Lance's lips stretch into a smile against his chest.

“Oh. Good. Because I've always thought we were. So, isn't this crazy? I mean, I would have never imagined! Even when I've always felt attracted to you... I never thought you'd like me!”

Shiro paused for a second.

“Why not?”

“'cause you're perfect and deserve the best.”

Shiro felt short of breath, suddenly.

“But Lance... I'm not perfect. And—And you're...”

“Yeah. I mean, I get it! You're a human being, you aren't, like, perfect- _perfect_ but you are your best, you know? Like, you are the best version of yourself even with everything that is going on. Even with—eh, with your past. You're always so kind and strong, even when you don't even try. And that is so awesome, man. You're awesome.”

Shiro didn't know what to say to that. Lance sounded so sincere, so full of honesty while calling him all the things that Shiro normally felt he was _not_. Kind? Strong? ... Human?

Shiro's brain took more than a moment to collect itself. His heart, on the other hand, was beating wild inside his chest. Lance could probably feel it.

Shiro was overwhelmed but, nonetheless, he forced his body to move. Gently, he manhandled Lance until they were eye to eye, side by side on his small bed.

Lance was smiling, comfortable in their intimacy. Shiro took note to ask him in the future how he achieved that so easily.

Shiro finally talked on his third try.

“I used to imagined you in different scenarios than always ended with both of us together.”

Lance belly-laughed, blue eyes shining with joy.

“What? Really? What kind of scenarios?”

“Plenty of them. Most pretty ordinary. You—You are so human, so normal that I wanted that.”

Shiro felt like he was revealing one of his most private secrets; it felt like a pretty important moment. Lance, on the other hand, stopped smiling and frowned, putting some distance between his bodies, even.

Lance's progressively sadder face told Shiro that he had said something wrong, very wrong.

“Excuse me? Normal?”

Ah. Right. That... Yes. Shiro could see why Lance was so displeased and even hurt by being called 'normal'.

Shiro was an idiot. He needed it to explain himself.

“Normal is not the same as average. It's _not_.” Lance looked two seconds away to panic and Shiro needed it to fix this. “Hear me out. Please. Please. Hear me out, Lance.”

Lance nodded. Then, in a tone that sounded both vulnerable and nonchalant at once he said:  
“Sure.”

Shiro tried to dominate his anxiety before talking. He wasn't about to lose Lance over semantics.

“A few years ago... I was normal. And then, after Kerberos, I wasn't.” Shiro lifted his prosthetic arm to made a point. “Galra tech. I—I can actually _feel_ with this, you know? It's like my brain can pick when it's a weapon and when it's just my hand. I don't remember most of my year in captivity but what I can remember... I dislike it. I hate it. I hate them, and I hate myself. I hate to know... That I am The Champion. Right now, Lance... I'm anything but human. I'm not normal.”

Lance didn't seem as panicked as before but he was still frowning. Shiro kept talking.

“And then there was you. I mean, all of you help, I've told you this before, but _you_ , you Lance,... You made me laugh and be silly, and made me stop trying to regain memories of my past so I could start making new ones, great ones. You make me feel... Focused, happy. And... Human. Because, Lance, you're normal in a way that I'll never be. You are completely human, and I swear to God sometimes I think you're made of pure joy just so you can give some it away. You are the normal one, the human one, that keeps us from going crazy.”

Lance was still quiet at the end and Shiro left his pulse quickening through fear.

“Do you—“ Shiro continued, trying with all his might to control the impulse that told him to get out of the room and just accept that he didn't deserve to be happy anymore and be done with it. “Pro-probably 'normal' isn't the best word. Yeah, I get it now. But... It's the one that I've always... I mean, that's what I really, really want and you're that, and...”

Apparently, Lance took pity on him because he moved his hand over Shiro's mouth, effectively silenced him.

“Actually...” Lance said at last, sounded very doubtful. “You make me sound... Special. Like—like I am...”

Gently, Shiro took away Lance's hand and talked once more.

“Like you are exactly what I need, exactly what I want.” Shiro smiled. “Yes, you're right. You are. Lance, I can't believe that we are together because to me... You're the best and I'm pretty sure I don't deserve you.”

Lance took a very delicate breath before talking. His voice sound vulnerable and naked.

“Shiro... You're the most impressive human that I know. And I will make you happy because you deserve to be. I—I swear. I'll make you happy; I'll make you feel safe.”

Shiro's heart was beating like a crazy animal once more. Half in relief, half in confused excitement.

He wanted to say that he'll make Lance happy as well, but Shiro wasn't so sure yet, plus, it felt like he had talked too much already. His quota of sharing more than overpaid.

Then again, he was in a relationship now. A relationship with _Lance_. Communication was the key, he knew.

“... This is everything I've ever wanted.” Lance whispered in a secret tone; like he was the one now sharing a bit of his soul, but confident while doing it, nonetheless. “I've always wanted to... To be... Special to someone. Like—Like... I've always wanted them to trust me and confide in me. Accept me as _me_ and... You know, that they like me above everybody else and _show it_ , even if it's only in private.” Lance's eyes were brightening again, even in the poor light of Shiro's cabin. “And you are giving me that. You're... You too. You make me happy, too.”

A warm feeling made a home in Shiro's chest after Lance's speech. Shiro smiled, pleased. There were probably one million more of thing to say, especially cheesy, stickily-sweet ones, but Shiro was having trouble breathing correctly through all the giddiness and happiness inside him, they felt hot and pleasurable inside his _bones_ , so he just hugged Lance again against his own chest and enjoyed the comfortable closeness.

Yes. That felt right.

Lance laughed once more.

“Someday you're going to tell me all about the things you imagined, you clear? Even the sexy bits that I know that exist because, seriously, look at me. I'm impossible to resist.”

It was Shiro's turn to laugh.

“Maybe.”

Lance returned Shiro's embrace and Shiro felt the way Lance's breathing grew deeper and relaxed.

Shiro didn't know when he had closed his eyes, but they were closed now, anyway. Lance's body was, no surprise here, a very comfortable weight of heat above him and Shiro got really sleepy a moment later, emotionally exhausted but calm after their talk.

Maybe, just maybe... He could sleep a little bit more?

Gosh. He sounded so unsure and uncertain even in his own mind, even after all the confessions and the promises. It felt like sleeping outside his routinely night-cycle was the same as to break a very strict rule that was going to change him forever. Man, he was such a rebel!

On the other hand, it really felt like the most twisted kind of freedom he had experienced in a while. He had to ask Lance about this weird feeling of being free when in reality he was being pressing down onto his bed.

Maybe Lance was right and Shiro was special and exactly what he need it as well. Not just on his way-too-many imaginary worlds but right there and there. In space. In reality.

Maybe there was hope. Maybe Shiro could be human and happy again.

Lance softly snored and Shiro didn't fight anymore. He was asleep on the next second.

Shiro wasn't too sure how long they were asleep together but it really didn't matter when he was awaken by Lance's sweet kisses being delivered all over his face and neck. Shiro smiled, feeling better rested and lighter than he could recall.

“Yes. This is exactly how I have always wanted to find you.” Lance informed him in a secret voice, with a pleasant husky edge at the end.

Oh well. Lance had always been the plan guy because his strategies tended to be the best ones. Shiro knew that first hand.

“Really? You wanted to kiss me awake?” Shiro's voice was also affected by their time napping, it sounded raspy and deep.

And sexy as well, if Lance's full body shiver was any indication.

Shiro smirked, opening his eyes. And, oh Universe, what a sight Lance was. This closed up, Shiro could really appreciate the way his hair was all over the place and the unfairly compliant and attractive curve of his mouth, almost panting against his own lips. His impossible blue eyes were glowing, even in the dark.

Shiro might had growled a bit, but Lance was closing the distance between their lips a tick later and a pleasurable shudder went up and down Shiro's back and, really, thinking was overrated this early in the space-morning anyway.

Their lips moved together slowly but filled with intent and passion. Lance rearranged himself over Shiro, giving himself more room with his arms and then he started sucking and lightly biting Shiro's bottom lip until Shiro's breathing accelerated. Then Lance's tongue joined the party and, let Shiro assure you, Lance knew what he was doing in the kissing department.

Never one to be completely passive, Shiro took hold of Lance's hair and lower back and then took upon himself to dominate Lance's tongue with his own. He knew a trick or two as well, so Shiro didn't lose time opening Lance's mouth and _claiming_ him.

Lance moaned and then trembled over him. Shiro's own shiver was such a hot reaction.

Being seriously turned on by a make out session hadn't been _exactly_ Shiro's plan when he decided that he was going to surprise Lance in bed, (nor was confessing embarrassing things, for that matter) so he didn't know if he was supposed to stop this before it got out of hand.

But then Lance shifted once more and suddenly both of Lance's legs were very much embracing Shiro's own leg between them and Shiro could feel on his hip that Lance was really, really turned on by all this, and... Surely they could stay in bed half an hour more, right?

Making his decision, Shiro hand traveled all the way to Lance's ass and groped him a bit. Lance reaction was instantaneous, as if all of his nerves were on fire already. He jerked and moaned once more and pressed his erection into Shiro's hip.

And fuck, talk about a hot feeling. Shiro growled again into the kiss, using the hand that was still into Lance's hair to stop all of his movement so Shiro could thrust his tongue in an out of it, possessive and demanding all at once.

And Lance... Oh God, Lance started humping his hip at the same speed than Shiro's tongue and letting out all kind of choked and very sexy sounds. Shiro felt deliciously lightheaded; overwhelmed with all the feelings that his body could create in response to Lance own pleasure.

Finally breaking the kiss, Shiro grunted while changing their positions, pinning Lance down to bed, going as far as taking Lance's wrist into his hand and then over his head. The pillow was on the floor by now just like the sheet but none of that mattered because Lance's pupils were blown wide and his lips were red and obviously used and Shiro's self control was checking itself out from the building.

That's was exactly the moment when the alarm went off.

“Paladins!” Coran's voice could be heard through all the castle. “An incoming planet it's requesting our immediate help! I'll repeat: An incoming planet is...”

“No no no no no, no!” Lance cried, clearly frustrated. “Not now! Oh, fuck! Can they excuse us for, like, five minutes?”

Even when Shiro could relate with the sentiment, he couldn't help but tease him.  
“Only five minutes?”

Lance blushed even more but his eyes never strayed away from Shiro's. One moment later, he was smirking up at Shiro.

“I'm _that_ good, baby!” Lance winked and then slowly licked his lips with lewd pleasure, even releasing a dramatic and overly sexual gasp at the end of it so Shiro didn't have any doubt of what was he talking about. “You are in for a ride. Ehrm. Later. After being heroes and all that.”

Shiro needed a minute. In fact, he could use a long shower. His brain supplying ways of putting on his uniform so his half hard dick wasn't that obvious.

Lance got it worst than him, though. Shiro smiled and Lance blushed once more.

“Let's go to be heroes then.”

Lance groaned, resigned.

“Right, right. Whatever. Drink your juice before going to deck. I'm cool and my dick really isn't but whatever, we're cool. But yeah, drink the fucking juice.”

Shiro laughed, getting out of bed, amused by Lance's frustration.

\--

“I miss dancing.” Lance said while he rhythmically shook his hips and legs to the music playing inside the common room. It was a song that Shiro had heard before but never really paid attention to. The trumpets were present in the chorus, of course.

“You dance all the time, Lance.” Keith declared while doing something or another with the knife that he always carried around.

“Nah, but like... At a club full with people and loud music.”

“So what you really miss is being all slutty to stranger.” Pidge said smirking.

Lance blushed a little, directing to Shiro an alarmed gaze.

“No! Just—You know... The moment of getting lost in the movement and finally being able to unwind.”

“Pfft! I don't know how you could unwind like that.” Keith intervened again.

“Actually, buddy,” Hunk said looking at Lance. “I miss it too.”

Lance smiled, obviously happy, a new song came up and he carried on dancing a little to the fact that he _didn't need dollar bills to have fun tonight._

“And that's why Hunk is my best friend, suckers!”

Pidge and Keith rolled their eyes. Shiro smiled, content to watch Lance just being Lance.

“Lance has a point, man.” Hunk explained. “I didn't believe him at first but then... Well, something about that atmosphere it's just relaxing.”

“Yeah! Exactly!”

Pidge snorted.

“Let me guess... The endorphins?” She said as an obvious innuendo. “The come-and-go of the bodies around you, all wanting you?” Pidge moved her eyebrows up and down.

Shiro got a little uncomfortable on his seat. Lance kept dancing all around the room, seemly nonchalance, but his eyes avoided Shiro's.

It wasn't that Shiro was a jealous partner. He wasn't. Except... Maybe a little possessive. Shiro was ok not knowing everything about Lance's past and he didn't care that much that Lance still talked to strangers with awful pickup lines. But when Shiro noticed that something was actually important to Lance, he wanted in. He wanted to know everything and then include himself into whatever it was, so he could create new happy memories with Lance.

Shiro wasn't completely sure if that was healthy, so he was being very careful with his own behavior around Lance; taking his time and learning more about him without being invasive.

But, as everything, it was all about triall and error and faith that everything was going to be fine between them.

For the time being, though, Shiro's gaze was almost fixated in Lance's hips, ass and legs. Universe, the boy could dance! Even when he was doing it breezily and just for the sake of moving. It was difficult to stop looking so no other paladin knew about Shiro's new and increasing obsession.

Keith laughed mockingly.

“What? Lance?” Keith rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Do you think Lance has enough game to actually, you know, be wanted?”

“Hey!” Of course that Lance turned around looking properly offended. “I'm letting you know that, _yes,_ a lot of people had wanted me and, anyway, I have way more game than you Mullet, any day of the week, even in space!”

“Aha. Right. Your score of people or aliens successfully seduced by you just talk for itself.” Keith continued taunting, all in good fun. Or so Shiro believed.

Lance, on the other hand, went completely still in his movements, staring at Keith with his eyes narrowed. Then, the moved his head to the right, zeroing his gaze into a point on the floor, just beside the seat that Allura normally used.

“Actually...” Hunk, as always, intervened into the conversation just so he could support Lance. “I don't know if you guys know this, but Lance's biggest sister? Ginny? Yeah. She's a professional dancer. And Lance knows some choreography.” Hunk smiled. “She was the one that taught me how to breakdance!”

“Really?” Pidge asked, obviously impressed by the new information. “I met her. She is really nice. Makes you wonder how is it that they’re from the same family.”

“Oh, we're family, alright!” Lance smiled, all smug and confident, making his way to the iPod that was playing another very catchy song. “I can prove it.”

“How?” Keith asked at the same time as Shiro.

“You'll see.” Lance selected a new song, a girl beautifully singing while another one rapped on the background. “As a matter of fact, this is something I've always wanted to do.”

“Really, Lance? _Side to side_? Isn't too old?” Hunk inquired. Then, his eyes went big, as if he was remembering something really important. “Wait a second, isn't this the song that she... Hold on, buddy, why would you...?”

“My sister,” Lance said while removing his green jacket and walking to Allura's seat with an assertiveness that was rare on him, his body moving seductively as he went. Shiro's focus was captivated by it, even when Lance hadn't looked at him at all. “She liked this guy, right?” Leisurely, Lance started to untie his shoes. “So, she made a plan to get all of his attention.”

Hunk, with an openly incredulous tone, contributed to the story:  
“Yeah. Ginny said that the best way to be successful in the, and I'm quoting here, 'the attraction game', is to make use of all your assets and obvious skills. In her case, it was, ehrmmm, well, it was her body. I mean, she is a _dancer_.”

Lance grinned, now with his feet bare. He took something from the floor and it took Shiro's brain a few seconds to understand that it was Allura's shoes. Allura's high heels, to be exact. The ones she used only when the dress code of some planet required it.

Two days ago, she left them right there after a long meeting with some aliens that left her exhausted. And now Lance was putting them on like it was the most natural thing on the universe.

“What are you doing?!” Keith asked startled.

Lance kept smiling and making sure the heels were secured on his feet. Suddenly, and being more confident and sexy that Lance normally was when all of them were gathered together, Lance stood on his heel-wearing feet and took a couple of slow steps.

“My sister made a routine for this song. It's nothing big but, oh boy, I wanted to imitate her sooo badly. She looked so great while doing it. Plus, the guy she liked? Yeah. I swear he didn't blink the whole time she was walking around. She was everything he could see. She was _special_.” Lance said with a voice heavy with meaning.

All the paladins looked confused and Shiro was having problems to breath because a couple of ticks after Lance seemed to decide that Allura's heels felt fine and he was ready to _strut._

He moved his hip while he walked, precise and secure on his strides. Then, he took the bottom part of his baseball t-shirt and rolled it up, coiled into a knot over his stomach and, yes, yes, Shiro was blushing and Lance was glowing on the other side of the room.

Lance mussed up his hair with his fingers, the sexy movement disguised with disregard. But Shiro knew it was a very deliberate move because of the way Lance's long neck was exposed on those seconds.

Out of nowhere, Lance turned around, showing them his very firm ass and took a couple of more steps, all of them full with seductive intent. Then, Lance separated his legs and bended over. By his waist, of course, how else would had he done it?!

Shiro swallowed, feeling hot under his collar. Lance was seducing him in the open, with their team in the same room. And it was working.

Really, really working. Shiro had got to get out of there before something even more unappropriated occurred.

“Lance! What the fuck?!” Pidge yelled. Keith was a little flushed himself and Hunk looked completely surprised.

Shiro stood up from his seat; he couldn't keep watching while knowing that Lance was putting that show on purpose, just to torture him.

“Lance.” Shiro admonished him. Or so he tried. His voice sounded a little breathless already but he hoped nobody realized it. “Stop it.”

Lance turned around again, facing him and giving him a slow and very sexy smirk.

“Do you know what my sister said after she did this?”

“Lance, you should--”

“Bro, what the hell are you doing?”

“She told me she felt like she was the only girl in the world, because he was so focused on her, she felt unique. Proud. Special. And because she was looking only at him, that made him special too”

Again that word.

Oh. Oh wait. Maybe Lance wanted...?

Quiznak.

And then Lance started walking again, moving his hips with the song as he went, closer to Shiro and the others.

“Lance! Could you stop that?!” Keith shouted embarrassed.

_I've been there all night_  
I've been there all day  
And boy, got me walkin' side to side. 

Lance kept lightly dancing, making his way towards Shiro in a seemly innocent way (except for the part that it obviously wasn't).

Shiro fought for his features to look impassive and stoic the moment that Lance stopped his walk in front of him, smoothly waving his body in close proximity. Lance's eyes were bright above his pink cheeks. He winked at Shiro, delivering another sexy smile. Shiro crossed his arms against his chest, making him feel physically powerful even when Lance was taller than him in those heels.

Shiro may or may not being showing off a little bit, knowing full well that Lance liked when Shiro exaggerated his manly aura just for his enjoyment. Lance danced still, inviting Shiro to invade his personal space.

Hunk gasped. Pidge eye rolled.

“Really? Shiro? Now Lance, stop being such a masochist.”

“ _That's_ your game? Your sister was better, right?” Asked Keith.

All at once, Lance stopped dancing, blushing. He looked at the floor for a second clearly embarrassed, his face all red, his hand on his neck. Then he took a couple of back steps and finally looked up to the ceiling trying to look unconcerned. However, Lance seemed sad. Maybe even hurt.

Shiro's heart did a confused double beat inside his chest and without losing any more time, he walked over to Lance, putting his hands over his almost exposed hips, displaying a possessiveness that was satisfying.

Just like the way Lance's eyes were open wide, mouth slack in surprise.

Hunk gasped again.

“Actually,” Shiro said bringing Lance closer to his body, mindful of the high heels he was wearing. “Can you keep walking like that all the way to my room?”

Keith and Pidge also let out surprised gasps.

Lance nodded, equal parts shocked and pleased. He was smiling again.

Shiro smirked, enjoying the way Lance's face turned hot and plaint.

“Lead the way, then.”

And without looking back, Lance took him away from the common room with an impressive speed for the borrowed shoes he was wearing. Shiro hands still on his hips, feeling all the side to side movements.

Lance mischievously smiled at him before opening the door to Shiro's room. Shiro felt a bubbly feeling on his chest that made him feel happy and free.

The Lance Effect, once again.

They entered the room and closed the door behind them.

\--

“What?”

“Oh my God! YES!”

“WHAT?!”

\--

The air had gotten alarmingly low in the ship. Shiro couldn't believe it. If he had had enough air, he would had laugh.

He had done the impossible. He disarmed a druid, shot two unprepared Galra soldiers and ran through the whole Galra prison hearing his inmates screaming after him (“Champion! Champion!”), had stolen a Galra ship...

And now he was going to die in the middle of the unexplored fucking space, barely tasting his freedom, because the previous pilot of the ship didn't feel the need to reload the oxygen tank.

That couldn't be. This shouldn't be his end. It shouldn't! Shiro had fought so hard for his moment, to finally escape from these awful monsters. Now they were going to attack the Earth and it was going to be Shiro's fault, because the Galra knew about Earth thanks to Shiro, and he if he didn't reach home before the Galra everyone was going to die.

Everyone. His team. His friends. His brother. And Lance.

Oh, God. They were going to hurt Keith and Lance.

_No._

Feeling bile at the back of his throat and with his hands uncontrollably shaking, Shiro tried to breathe, to stay calm and stabilize but that was impossible because there was no air and he was going to die. He was going to die like a coward, like a failed soldier. And because of that, Pidge and Hunk were going to die, too. And Keith and Lance as well.

Desperate, Shiro tried pressing all the weird buttons on the dashboard and, when that didn't work, he started _punching_ them, wrecking the whole ship out of hopelessness. If the Galra ship was so invested into killing him, then Shiro wasn't going to go without a fight.

Still, he couldn't breath and he was going to die. And the more he moved the worst he felt.

_No, no, no. Think about Keith. He deserves better, deserves a future. Think about Lance. Lance._

Without controlling his anger and his increasing feeling of despair, his right arm smashed the dashboard, breaking it in half. Disoriented, he realized that his hand was glowing in purple. In a futuristic and supernatural purple. In fact, his whole arm...

Oh God. His whole arm was gone. Now it was a thing, something way too similar to a weapon for it not to be one. When did that happen? Where was his... His arm?

Shiro couldn't breath. Suddenly he realized that his vision was blurred and he couldn't see anything. He was going to die.

_Escape! Where to?! Escape! Keith is going to die you need to escape! How?! They're going to hurt Lance. You are going to die being a monster and they are going to rip apart everything._

Shiro was going to die because he couldn't breath. He screamed, completely terrified of a dead he couldn't escape. That an horrific way to go. Oh, God.

“You're fine. You're ok, Shiro. Inhale and Exhale. Come on, man, you can do it.”

“I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.”

“Yes, yes you can. Come on, just--”

His arm was still glowing in a sickly bright purple, Galra purple. He wasn't complete anymore. Shiro wasn't himself anymore. He was a monster. The monsters made him like them.

“Can't breathe. Can't. Can't.”

“Of course you can breathe, Shiro! Feel! Like this!”

Out of nowhere his human hand moved without explanation. It went up in the empty space (because there was _no air left_ ) and the unexpected sensation of something warm made his whole body shook, terrified. Shiro didn't want to die like this. Not like this.

“Come on, Shiro. Come on. Feel it. See? Breath, babe, breath.”

The air around him started to vibrate. No, not vibrate, to beat. Like a heartbeat. Like a very much alive heartbeat pumping blood through a body that was breathing in and out.

“That's it. You are doing it. You are. That's it. Take your time, Shiro. You're breathing.”

“Can't. Can't. Can't...”

In and out. The ship was breathing his air. No. Wait. Not the ship. A boy. A man.

“You can. Follow me. Deeper breaths.”

Lance.

“Air, Lance. I need—I need. _Air_.”

“You have it. Take it all. There, there. That's it. Yes, Shiro that's it.”

Shiro was awake. His head was spinning, his eyes couldn't focus and he didn't know where he was, but he was finally awake.

He took a exaggerated big breath, a desperate and broken one, just to test if he could. He was panting and he couldn't believe it but there was air alright.

What had happened?

“Air, air, air. I can't... Air.”

“Yes. Yes. Air. That's it. The air is all around you. You can breath, Shiro. You're breathing. That's it. Good job, babe. That's it.”

Shiro was breathing better with every passing second. He was following an unknown pattern of breathing, a deep and regulated one. It took him a long while, but little by little Shiro could take in air at the same time than the chest he was feeling inflating under his fingers.

His eyes focused a bit and Shiro studied his surroundings.

The light was still out but that was his room. His castle-ship room. Yes, that was correct. He had a room, a familiar place to be. Maybe he wasn't going to die the next second. Maybe.

A couple of seconds after Shiro realized that he was, in fact, _breathing_. Even though, Shiro wasn't aware that he kept praying for air every few seconds.

It took some more time but, finally, his gaze localized Lance and Shiro's brain fought to find logic in his presence inside his room in the middle of the night.

“That's it. Oh, Shiro. That's perfect. Great, great.”

Shiro's human hand was being pressed over Lance's chest by Lance himself. He was feeling and imitating Lance's breathing. The heartbeat that was going crazy under his fingertips was Lance's.

“La-Lance?” He asked, not actually hearing his voice but knowing he sounded broken anyway.

Lance choked himself in a relieved sob. He seemed on his last ditch. Really sad and alarmed.

“Yes, yes! Hi. Hi there, my Takashi. Oh, Shiro. There you are. That's it.”

“What?” Shiro was fairly sure he was crying. “Why...?”

“Just a nightmare, babe. I'm so sorry. B-But it's ok. It's ok because here you're safe and you are breathing. You are breathing, Shiro.”

He was, indeed.

Shiro dropped his hand from Lance's chest and took a deep breath, finally beginning to calm down.

“Good job! Excellent. Good, good. In and out. Very good.”

Shiro kept breathing. He couldn't do anything else.

Lance was still in front of him, watching him closely. Lance didn't try to touch him again and Shiro was grateful for it. He wasn't confident that his body wouldn't lash out, still convinced that he needed to escape.

It took awhile for Shiro's ears to stop buzzing and for his eyes to actually pay attention to anything else beside the unfocused shape of Lance, but little by little Shiro's senses were returning, just like his memories from the night before.

They had rescued a few prisoners from a Galra ship. It hadn't even been that hard, to be honest. It had been a good mission; easy and successful. They had came back to the castle and watched a movie that Hunk had wanted to watch. Lance and him, as usual, had waited until they were alone to hug each other.

They had dinner. Keith had talked to him about a new maneuver with Red. Lance and Shiro had gone to his room to unwind a little more, in a more physical and pleasurable way. After, they had fallen asleep.

Then, the nightmare.

If Shiro could have concentrated on something else that wasn't calming himself, he would be surprised that it had took this long for Lance to witness one of his episodes.

Granted, Shiro and Lance didn't sleep together that much. Usually they both preferred to have space to move freely while sleeping and the teenie-tiny beds of their cabins were just too small for a comfortable night with two long bodies on it. That night, however, Lance had fallen asleep way before Shiro could prevent it. And they had been cuddling and, really, what was the harm with one night sharing Shiro's bed...?

Obviously, Shiro's PTSD. Oh God.

“You have it now. That's good. Very good.”

“I'm—I'm s-sorry, Lanc—.”

“Oh, no. Come on. Don't give me that. I'm cool. And you, you're cool as well. And by that I mean safe and sound.”

Lance didn't look cool. Not even close. His hair was a mess and his eyes were still opened in controlled panic. He was on his knees, in front of Shiro; close to him but giving him space. They were both on the floor, Shiro suddenly realized. How did they end up on the floor?

“Oh, great, your arm isn't glowing anymore.”

That snapped Shiro's attention, his gaze going directly to his prosthetic arm. Yes, it was turned off at the moment but Shiro could easily guess that it had been on, prepared to be used as a weapon, just a minute ago thanks to the warm feeling that always stayed on his shoulder after he activated it.

Shiro swallowed.

“Di-Did I... Hur-Hurt you?”

“Of course not! You just... You know, you just... No. You didn't hurt me, nor you hurt yourself. You're fine and I'm fine.”

Kept breathing, still curling on the floor, feeling more vulnerable and naked that he had in a long while, even on the other nights that he had nightmares. Probably because it was the first time he had company over, the first time somebody of his team saw it like this.

Shiro felt like a broken idol; undeserving of his leader position, afraid of Lance's pity, just because he had witnessed all.

It made Shiro uncomfortable. He wanted Lance out of his room. Shiro wanted to turn back in time and ask Lance to leave before he had fallen asleep. Shiro wanted to be left alone and to Lance to forget that he saw it like this.

“You're doing so great.”

Yes. He was just breathing, thank you very much. Now that he was awake, he understood that it was an easy feat. Shiro closed his eyes; he couldn't keep watching Lance watching him anymore.

A couple of moments in silence stretched on between them. Shiro half wanted Lance to make the decision of leaving himself, half wanted Lance to start talking again so Shiro could yell at him to get out.

Shiro was so ashamed. Dammit. Why did this happen it to him exactly the night that Lance was sharing his bed? Just, _why?_

Suddenly, there was movement. Lance was getting up. Shiro's heart picked up its rhythm in anxiety but he couldn't open his eyes. Not yet. He would wait until Lance went out because Shiro was sure he needed to cry a little bit more before he could calm himself completely.

But then, Lance occupied again the same spot in front of him, getting comfortable in the floor. Shiro was about to open his mouth to finally tell him to get out when he heard it.

A drumming sound.

Surprised, Shiro opened his eyes finding Lance, just as he pictured, ahead of him with a plastic cup, one that Lance had previously used to bring Shiro some strawberry juice, in front of Lance. Lance was gently tapping the upside down cup to make the drumming sound.

Lance was setting a rhythm.

And then, in a sweet and delicate voice:  
_“No sé bien qué día es hoy. Sólo sé que te vi salir... Y en cinco minutos perdí las letras para hablar de amor.”_ Lance sang, thankfully not looking at Shiro but at the cup.

Shiro had heard that song before, normally in a more cheerful tone, he didn't know what exactly said but he knew it was one of Lance's mother favorites. This new and improvised ballad version sounded nice.

It sounded like...

_“Siempre habrá vasos vacíos con agua de la ciudad. La nuestra es agua de río mezclada con mar.”_

Exactly what Shiro needed to center himself again.

_“A ti te quiero decir: no te preocupes, mi amor. Que yo te voy a entender, que yo te voy a querer.”_

At the end of the song, Shiro realized that his eyes stopped being wet and his hand wasn't shaking anymore. His breathing pattern was normal and he felt more at peace than five minutes ago. Lance was still looking at the cup.

Shiro sighed, starting to relax.

“If you want me to go, I'll go. But first I need to point out something for you.” Finally, Lance's watery eyes were on Shiro. “You're human. Galra tech or not, you're human.” Lance took his prosthetic hand softly between his hands before taking up to his own face, resting his cheek in Shiro's robotic fingers. “And you're so good, and so pure that one of the first thing you did was ask about _me.”_

Lance's gaze was firm, just like the rest of his features. He was still cradling his prosthetic hand like it was a precious thing.

Shiro was speechless. He tried anyway.

“I—Uh. I, Lance.”

“Shiro. You deserve to be safe. And you're. Here and now. You're safe with me.”

“Yes. We... We're safe.”

Lance smiled, tenderly.

“Do you want me to leave?” Shiro shook his head. “Do you want to talk about it?” Another denial. “Want me to carry on singing?” Shiro nodded. Lance grinned, obviously still preoccupied but getting better. “Any song?” Another nod.

Lance let go of Shiro's hand and went back to play the cup's bottom.

 _“Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong…”_ Lance sang. Shiro laughed.

After the fourth song Shiro felt like himself once more. When it finished, Shiro asked Lance to move until Lance was sitting between Shiro's leg, still playing the cup but now with the added weight of Shiro arms around his torso and his head on his shoulder.

By the sixth song, Shiro whispered:  
“Thank you.” Trembling for another reason now.

Lance subtly caressed Shiro's white hair and smiled as an answer.

“I'm here.” Lance said, pressing his back onto Shiro's chest in a comforting way.

Shiro wasn't ready to try to sleep again but Lance didn't ask. He just continued singing.

_When the sun came up,_  
We were sleeping in,  
Sunk inside our blankets,  
Sprawled across the bed,  
And we were dreaming. 

The next day, they both sleep deprived and their movement were way too slow to be safe in battle but, fortunately, it was only a practice day.

Shiro was tired, both physically and emotionally, but he was their leader still, so he sucked it up and tried his best. Lance didn't complain, not even once, not even when Allura yelled at him for being too distracted.

“Lance, for the last time, stop focusing on Keith! Stop flying over him!”

“Yes, Lance!” Keith grumpily opined on the com. “Leave me alone!”

“Nooooo! I will protect you from all the enemies, Keith!”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“If you're ok, everything will be fine!!”

“Lance, bro, calm down a bit and let Keith breathe.”

“But, Hunk—!”

“Yes, Lance. Your boyfriend is the other one.”

“Pidge! It's got nothing to do with that. It's just that Keith is so prone to accidents and explosions!”

“Worry about your own mediocre flying skills, Lance!”

“Keith you're almost my brother now, you just need to learn to love me.”

“Fuck you! Shiro! Lance is making me uncomfortable again!”

Shiro tried not to laugh out loud on the mic.

“Keith! Hear me out and let me protect you!”

“I'm going to shoot you, Lance!!!”

Shiro sighed, tired but content. Feeling raw and vulnerable but _lighter_. Like he was more real, more _Shiro_ than he had been in a long time.

“Love me, brother-in-law!”

“FUCK YOU! SHIRO!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Shout out to [Berserkered](http://shiros-hero.tumblr.com/) again, because if it wasn't for him you'd all be reading something unintelligible. He's awesome. Go and give him all the love he deserves.
> 
> * The thing with Lance forgetting English words? Yes. That's a real thing.
> 
> * Did I just write a 9k fluff fic just for having Lance dancing _Side to Side_? Yes. I did it.
> 
> * The song that Lance signs to Shiro is [Vasos Vacios ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoT-RHgBrp8)by Los Fabulosos Callidac ft. Celia Cruz. I was going to translated it but it's a pretty weird song as it is. (I believe) It's about how you sometimes feel sad but then, nonetheless, there's always people that love you as is just like you.
> 
> The phrase: "A ti te quiero decir, no te preocupes mi amor. Que yo te voy a entender, que yo te voy a querer", means "I want to tell that you don't need to worry, my love. (Because) I understand you and I love you". That's why is important.
> 
> * The other song is [Existentialism on prom night by](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75IoW9kbGtc) Straylight Run.
> 
> * The next and last chapter should be up by the 6th day of the Shance week.
> 
> *Thank you for reading and for all the support! ^^


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